The Seventh Guradian
by Plaxxramas
Summary: At the time the Pharaoh needed him the most, Arcturas disappeared. But the Pharaoh's greatest guardian has awakened in search of his king and answers of what happened in the past.
1. Prolouge

A figure clad in a black robe stood in an empty hallway. The hallway was dark, making it impossible to see except for the small areas that were lit by torches. The figure was absolutely silent, even as he stirred. "He's late. That's not like him", he said to himself. He gazed down the hallway made of sand and carved gold. The flames of the torches flickered. The hooded figure moved his hand from his robes and held it clenched in a fist in front of him. "So, I was right. The Pharaoh has decided to give his Relic of Darkness to you. I must ask you to reconsider". He opened his hand to reveal a golden rectangle with rounded edges and two small L-shaped pieces going off at one end. "The Pharaoh is in grave danger and if you accept what he plans to give you, than you will putting yourself into peril as well. I don't want anything to happen to you, Guardian Seven. As you can see, I too have a Relic of Darkness". The figure withdrew his hand and took a golden chain that held the piece of gold in his hands and placed it around the neck of his hood. His voice was deep and raspy.

Once the chain was around his neck, it started to glow. The torches in the hallway blew out, leaving the piece of gold as the only source of light in the darkness. He looked down the corridor without blinking for fear that he would miss something. Not long after he finished speaking, a glow came from the other end of the room. The figure smiled darkly, revealing his teeth, which was all that was visible from the glowing piece of gold dangling from his neck.

"What makes you so sure that I am going to receive the Pharaoh's Relic of Darkness", came a voice from the opposing glow. Both items stopped glowing and the torches lit themselves, once again providing the two in the room with light. "I appreciate your concern, but I must do my duty and protect my king. I was assigned to keep Pharaoh Atemu safe when I was given my Relic of Darkness", the voice said. A torch was burning near him. Not much of him was visible. He held up his right arm with a pointing finger. "I can't believe that you would even consider that I should abandon his majesty. You know just as well as I do that he is at risk of the three. You heard the message". The second person's voice was becoming considerably angrier compared to the calm tone that it was at first.

The first man's mouth dropped to a discouraged expression. "Yes, I was there when the message came to Pharaoh Atemu". His voice wasn't as deep now, but softer. "And that's exactly why you must not go see the Pharaoh. Croan, Moze, and Frost are far too powerful for even all of the guardians' power. Not even the Pharaoh's three mighty allies can stop their monsters. The Pharaoh is going to die tonight no matter what". When he finished, his piece of gold illuminated again.

The second man's hands were now clenched into fists. "You sicken me. The Pharaoh needs our help Flare, and all you can think of is how we are going to die. Strong as their monsters are, we have to fulfill our promises made to the Pharaoh when we became guardians", he shouted. He raised his right fist to show a black aura flowing around it. "Now you can either move out of my way so I may protect Pharaoh Atemu, or I will move you myself".

The first man held up a hand of his own. But his fingers were spread slightly. "If you insist on protecting the Pharaoh", he said grimly, "then I am afraid that this is where I kill you Guardian Seven". He held his hand forward and a red aura showed where it was in the shadowy corridor. The aura spiraled forward and struck the ground, revealing a purple creature with bones covering its body. Its head was a large skull with horns pointing down and it also had large claws. "Rocho came buy here as well. As you can see, he didn't make it to the Pharaoh either". The monster spread the blue wings on its back.

"You bastard! Rocho wasn't even a guardian. So Priest Akenaden, the Second Guardian was right, you really have sworn your loyalty to the dark priest Vincent Frost", the second voice said as he extended his fist. The black aura around his hand spiraled just like the red one. The monster that appeared was a blue-skinned human. A dark blue hat that bent backward to form horns had red designs and rested upon its long, black hair. The clothes in which the monster was dressed matched the hat in color but had less designs. "This is the monster that has protected the Pharaoh from countless attacks. Behold its awesome power". The monster held out its gloved hands and created a black scepter. It swung the scepter around like baton before smacking it against the ground and creating a large black orb of electricity.

"Your monster is powerful, but I am still too strong for it to beat. Rocho's monster isn't a weak creature like most others", the hooded man said. The creature that had armor crafted from bones raised its claws and lightning ran through them. "This creature is one of the monsters chosen by the Pharaoh to protect him in the next life. Attack him beast of Rocho", he ordered.

The lightning flew from the claws of Rocho's former monster and struck the second figure's monster. "Try all you like. My monster is the first in line to protect the Pharaoh in the next life. Observe his great strength". The second figure's voice echoed through the slightly lit corridor. His monster (The Magician of Black Chaos) broke the wave of electricity and fired the orb of black electricity at the monster in front of the first man (Summoned Skull). The attack forced the torches in the hallway to go out again as it flew through the small passageway. It crashed into the Summoned Skull and blasted it to pieces.

The first figure began to laugh. "I hope you don't think that my monster will be anywhere as weak as Rocho's was", he said. He formed another red aura around his hand. "My monster is more than capable of killing you Seventh Guardian". The red aura spiraled from his hand and crashed into the ground. The light from his glowing piece of gold vanished as a monster masked by the darkness formed in front of him.

The second figure looked up at ten glowing red eyes glaring down at him. "Wha… what is that?" he stuttered. All the second man heard was the echo of his enemy's maniacal laughter as his monster was destroyed by an unseen attack. The second man collapsed to his knees, his eyes in a blank gaze. His torso fell toward the ground as the golden object around his neck burst into ten pieces and his body disappeared.

In a much bigger room, three men clad in black cloaks were motionless. A fourth person stood opposite them. His features were clearly visible. He had purple hair that stuck up like a star behind blonde streaks in the front. His eyes were a stunning shade of purple, but the were reflecting cruelty. He was dressed in blue silk robes. There was golden jewelry with gems perfectly placed in the gold.

"Pharaoh, I suggest you hand over your Relic of Darkness. As much as I want to take it by force, I'm sure your throne room will remain a lot cleaner if you do as you are told. There is no monster alive that can stop my creature. He has already laid waste to your three great allies", the man in the center said. He held out his hand, which was too pale to be healthy. Around his neck was a piece of gold exactly like the first man in the hallway. It was glowing brilliantly. "This is your last chance to do as you are told Pharaoh".

The man being addressed as Pharaoh was growing angrier with everything that the cloaked man said. His voice was such a demonic noise that the Pharaoh couldn't bear listening to him. "You are a monster Dark Priest Frost", he shouted. He looked down at the motionless bodies on the floor. There were six people dressed in white robes, each one holding a piece of gold. The Pharaoh looked up at the monster behind the three cloaked men. "You're going to have to kill me to take this from me". He grabbed a golden pyramid that hung upside down from a cord around his neck. The giant white serpent opened its mouth and an orb of white energy formed in it.

"This is always my favorite part of Shadow Games. The part where my creature devastates my opponent's bodies", the cloaked man said. He pointed his index finger at the Pharaoh. A gargantuan white serpent filled the room behind the three cloaked men. The serpent fired its breath at him. The attack covered the Pharaoh and eventually subsided, leaving nothing in its place. The three men walked to where the Pharaoh stood. They looked at the ground, but didn't see anything.

The man on the left clenched his hand into a very tight fist. "This is Shaddi's work. Now he has the Pharaoh's treasure", he said. His voice was sharp, like a rake scratching a chalkboard.

"Patience Dark Priest Moze, we will take what we came for in do time. This, I can promise you", the first man said. He touched his piece of gold and the room was filled with a blinding light. When the light faded, all of the bodies were gone along with the cloaked men. All that was left were the six golden items lying on the floor in the ruins of the room.

**Well, I know that this doesn't seem like the greatest story in the world. But I promise that it does get better. I just had to tell what happened before the real story begins. But I promise that this will get better.**


	2. The Not So Perfect Life

**Disclaimer- The song that is played in this fic is actually Paranoid by Black Sabbath**

"It was about a year ago that my life started changing. I'm not exactly sure if it is for the best or for the worst, but there was definitely some changing. My name is Darren Fantasy. I was never very popular because I'm not social. The earliest memory I have is when I was about three or four. My mom was taking me for a walk. At the time we lived just outside of New York City. We were walking down a cleaner street when I wandered into a music store. It was the first time I had ever seen the dark red, True Tone hollow body electric guitar. I looked into the body and could see my own reflection. Once I was old enough, I would come to see the guitar as often as I could. There were even days that I would come twice.

When I was in grade school, I wouldn't talk to other children. I had grown up in a neighborhood with no other kids my age. In fact, I think the closest person to my age got up early to go to work and support his family everyday. So I never had that good of communication skills, which wasn't all bad. It gave me time to study for school. I was also able to learn the value of money at an early age. I got jobs like walking small dogs.

As I grew, my social skills didn't improve. People actually thought that they were getting worse. The summer between sixth and seventh grade was when I got my first real job. I would mow the lawns for some of the elderly and busier neighbors. It still wasn't a lot of money, but I was determined to buy that red True Tone.

In middle school was where I made my first friend. His name was Luke Ace. He was very smart and fairly popular. I will always remember how he would spike his blonde hair up as hard as possible. Luke was the greatest guy in the world. He was one of those guys that were picked first for everything. He figured out early on that I wasn't much of a people person. But he helped me with that. He introduced me to some other people. One of them was Brandy Dream. She was like a golden-haired goddess that lived among her mortal creations as one of their own. Being the smart guy that Luke was, he saw that I liked her before I did. But I wouldn't let him tell her.

Luke taught me a lot about life that no teacher could. Like me, his dad died when he was in the lower grades. He showed me how to read people. He was very good at this, where as I didn't catch on well. He also showed me how to play a card game called Duel Monsters. This wasn't nearly as hard. All the learning I had done as a child had finally paid off for something other than making second best grades in school (Luke always was number one). For my thirteenth birthday, Luke bought me a bunch of Duel Monsters cards so I could have my own deck. At the time, I thought that it was the greatest day of my life. Not only did I make my first deck, but I also got another great present. Brandy Dream didn't come from a very wealthy family so she didn't have a gift for me. Instead, she insisted on showing me how to French kiss. Somehow, Luke knew without being told, as usual.

Luke insisted on asking Brandy to go out with me. He said that he could tell she liked me. But still, I wasn't a very social person and declined his offer. Toward the end of the school year, another kid my age moved into the neighborhood. He was a smart kid as well, but he was home schooled. His name was Blaine Illusion. He too played Duel Monsters. I was never sure if he was smarter than Luke was, but it was obvious that he was a far better card player.

During the summer Luke, Blaine and I all got together and decided to get part time jobs at a gas station. By the time school started, I had finally earned enough money for the red True Tone. The three of us went into the city and I received that which I had fanaticized about for years. I had always been into rock music and couldn't wait to learn to play.

When school started, I was one of the few eighth graders in my music class. But Brandy was another one there. We sat next to each other. She too wanted to learn to play the guitar. But because she couldn't afford one, she was forced to borrow an acoustic one from the school. She would constantly say that she wished she could play as well as me. I don't think she ever listened to how well she played. At the end of the semester, we had to take different classes.

I took study hall so I could hang out with Luke and Blaine, who had started attending public school. We would finish all of our work earlier than the other kids. We would pull a table aside and practice dueling. I wasn't very good, but it was amazing to watch the other two go at it.

On my fourteenth birthday, Blaine and Luke took me to a Metallica concert. When I got home that night, I found Brandy sitting on my front porch. My mom wasn't home that night because she was taking classes to get a better job. She handed me a book that showed how to play every song written by Metallica, including the ones I had heard only a few hours earlier. I noticed that her guitar was sitting on the ground behind her. She picked it up and played Happy Birthday for me. Before she left, she gave me the same present as the year before.

From that night on, I had spent as much time as I could trying to write a song. School was out before I could finally finish it. I planned to play it for Brandy on her birthday. But that's when the worst day of my life came. My mom finished her classes and had gotten a job in the city. But we would have to move there before Brandy's birthday came. I said goodbye to Luke who gave me a Duel Monsters card called the Beast of Talwar. Blaine gave me the Amphibian Beast. I thanked my two best friends and left for my new life in New York City. I took a class at he community center for a month before school started to practice a bit more on my guitar.

The city was a lot like my old neighborhood: no kids. But my mom said that the kids at the High School were also into dueling. School started and I signed up to join the school's band. It wasn't like those bands where you have to march and dress up weird. All you had to do was wear a school shirt and play better than the opposing school. Obviously I tried for the electric guitar with my red True Tone. But the song I played wasn't the best one to choose in front of an entire student body that listens only to rap. I was a song I had written during the summer because I was so depressed after not getting to play the first song I had written to Brandy. In fact, this song was actually started about me missing her, but turned into something different. The reaction to the song was one I'll never forget.

I got up onto the stage and said my name, that I was a freshman, that I was trying out for the electric guitar, and that I wanted to play a song that I had written. I plugged my guitar into the amplifier and began playing the chords.

'Finished with my woman 'cos she couldn't help me with my mind.

People think I'm insane because I am frowning all the time.

All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy.

Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify.

Can you help me… occupy my brain?

I need someone to show me the things in life that I can't find.

I can't see the things that make true happiness I must be blind.

Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry.

Happiness I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal.

And so as you hear these words telling you now of my state.

I tell you enjoy life I wish I could but it's too late.'

The three judges told me immediately that I would never make the band. And because the entire school was also watching, it wasn't long before I was shunned by everyone. This wasn't as bad as one may think. I was actually given time to study again and practice the guitar. Not too long after the tryouts, a kid two years older than me with a bad attitude saw me in the study hall looking over my deck. He challenged me to a duel and made me bet my True Tone against a black ring he was wearing around his middle finger. Thanks to the cards and teaching I received from Luke, I was able to get myself a brand new ring. This would have to be the start of the weird changes.

Ever since I won the ring, people began avoiding me. I could hear them talk about me in the hallways. They would say things like, 'That kid has serious problems. You should have heard the music he played during the band tryouts. I think he hates life or something'. But I didn't care. I was easily able to ignore them thanks to growing up without friends. But the ring also seemed to give me attention as well. It attracted other duelists that wanted it. They all wore a black ring as well. There were nine of them in all. But they didn't all come at once. They took their time.

It was actually during the last week of school when I received the tenth ring. But when I did, the rings flashed a strange golden color and disappeared. In their place was a strange necklace. It was a medallion made of pure gold. An emblem of an eye was carved in the front. I placed it around my neck and instantly I felt different. A voice echoed in my head.

Its distinct words were, 'I must thank you for reuniting the ten black rings. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Arcturas, the Seventh Guardian of the Pharaoh'".

**I know that this still isn't a great story. But I'm working on getting to the good parts. I thought it might be nice if you guys just had some background information on the main character before the real story actually started. I hope you like this, even though it is all the first things that came to my mind in the course of an hour. **


	3. Memories of the Father

Hey readers, I chose to put a theme song in this fic and it is liable to change. But until then, imagine it starting off as a zoom out of a guitar so you can see Darren standing on top of the Empire State Building. Then through the song you see scenes from later in my fic ands characters (both good and bad). And the song I have chosen to portray Darren's life in NYC is Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'n' Roses

Welcome to the jungle

We got fun 'n' games

We got everything you want

Honey we know the names

We are the people that can find

Whatever you may need

If you got the money honey

We got the disease

In the jungle

Welcome to the jungle

Watch it bring you to your shun n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n knees, knees

I wanna watch you bleed

Welcome to the jungle

We take it day by day

If you want it you're gonna bleed

But it's the price you pay

And you're a very sexy girl

That's very hard to please

You can taste the bright lights

But you won't get them for free

In the jungle

Welcome to the jungle

Feel my, my, my serpantine

I wanna hear you scream

Welcome to the jungle

It gets worse here everyday

Ya learn to live like an animal

In the jungle where we play

If you got a hunger for what you see

You'll take it eventually

You can take anything you want

But you better not take it from me

In the jungle

Welcome to the jungle

Watch it bring you to your shun n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n knees, knees

I wanna watch you bleed

And when your high you never

Ever wanna come down, so down, so down, so down, YEAH

You know where you are

You're in the jungle baby

You're gonna die

In the jungle

Welcome to the jungle

Watch it bring you to your shun, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n knees, knees

In the jungle

Welcome to the jungle

Feel my, my, my serpantine

In the jungle

Welcome to the jungle

Watch it bring you to your shun, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n, n knees, knees

Welcome to the jungle

Watch it bring you to your

It's gonna bring you down

Ha!

A boy with spiky blonde hair with green in the front and dull gray eyes walked down a small flight of stairs. Behind him was a large white building made of marble. Engraved across the top was Library. "Well that was useless. There wasn't a single damn thing about any Pharaoh named Atemu. Arcturas, if he truly is from 5000 years ago, he's apparently full of shit. And now I'm going to be late getting to the registration booth at City Hall", he muttered to himself. He was walking faster than anyone around him.

He came to a crosswalk and the light told him to stay. He closed his eyes and thought loudly in his head, 'Arcturas, there was nothing about a Pharaoh called Atemu. Are you sure that you've got the right name? It has been 5000 years after all'. He waited a few seconds before hearing a deeper voice echo throughout his mind.

'I am positive that the Pharaoh Atemu is the one that I seek. I swore my life to protect him. You'll just have to find a new source of information. And you might want to open your eyes', the voice responded. The boy opened his eyes to see that the light had changed. He dashed across the street. He walked along a sidewalk for just a short time until he came to another white building, only this one was bigger. He walked up the larger flight of stairs and opened the heavy doors. He felt a breeze from the air conditioner.

"Leave it to the mayor to give himself the comfort of being nice and cool while my ass is baking back at the apartment", the boy said to himself. He walked up to a woman in a tiny skirt and a tight blouse. She had long, shiny, brown hair. She flashed her dazzling teeth at the boy when she saw him.

"Good afternoon. How may I help you?" she asked cheerfully.

The boy had a dulled look on his face. He looked into the woman's eyes and she gave a slight twitch as a shiver ran down her spine. "My name is Darren Fantasy. I want you to fill out a form so Mayor Dipshit knows I'm entering the Kingda Ka Duel Monsters World Tournament". He watched the woman's smile lessened.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but registrations for today are over. But you can try again tomorrow. Just remember to be here before 3:00. Have a nice day". Darren's dull expression changed to an annoyed one. He walked out of the building. He looked down at a trashcan with an ashtray on the top. He kicked the trashcan and it fell to the ground with a loud sound of metal on concrete. People passing by looked up at Darren with disgusted looks. Darren reached the ground and turned to walk home.

A man passing by shrugged his shoulders and muttered to himself, "There's always something wrong in this city. The nerve of the kids around here, kicking over trashcans". Darren overheard this and turned around.

"What's that bitch. If you don't like that I'm kicking down trashcans then why don't you run home to your mom like the pussy you are and ask her to complain to Mayor Stupid Fuck", Darren yelled after the man. The man continued walking the other way. "Damn straight bitch", Darren muttered. He was walking down the nice street where he bought the red True Tone two years ago. There was a card shop on this street. He looked in the card store's window at a sign saying 'Rare Cards at Cheap Prices'. Darren walked in and began looking around. "These cards aren't cheap. Ten bucks for a holo Man-Eater Bug. I got mine for $1.50". He was about to leave the card shop when he heard a TV commercial.

A man dressed up like a king from Medieval England was advertising the tournament. "Do you have what it takes to be crowned the Kingda Ka? Can you out duel all other great duelists in the world? Test you skills in the cards during the greatest tournament since Seto Kaiba's Battle City. Signup now". The commercial ended and Darren left the store. He walked back to the apartment that he and his mom lived in. When he arrived, he sat down with all of the windows open and watched TV until his mom got home. She arrived around six and began preparing dinner. She walked into the living room and bent over her son. Sabrina Fantasy had been working at the insurance company for the past thirteen hours. She put her hands on his cheeks and made him look up at her and she kissed his forehead.

"How was your day sweetheart?" she asked. Just as the words left her mouth, the answer came from the TV.

A news reporter that was slightly bald said, "And yet another day goes by with violence occurring outside the Mayor's office. Today a High School Student kicked over a trashcan". The TV showed the scene of Darren's tantrum. His mom looked disappointedly at her son.

"Why do you have to do this Darren? I know you're mad that you had to move to the city, but you could at least try to behave a little bit". Darren's gray eyes looked up at her. She had long blonde hair with watery brown eyes. She had the pretty face of a teenager herself. Even though she was his mom, Darren would even admit that she was good looking. He pierced her eyes with his own and she had to look away. "Don't do that. I hated it when you're father did that and his eyes were worse. Beautiful, but worse". She walked into the kitchen and Darren sat silently. It wasn't often that his mom talked about his dad.

At dinner he asked her, "I've never asked this mom, but what was dad like?" His mom made a small smile.

"It's been years since I've described him. Well, we met when we were about you age. He was a great duelist. He would spike his hair up too but it was silver. He had stunning blue eyes. You know how yours make people shutter, well his were beautiful but when he looked into your eyes it would make people begin to shiver. He was very caring about everybody, but I learned that he could be a dangerous person if you were on his bad side. He literally saved my life twice. He would only wear black". At this, Darren looked down at his black Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour T-shirt and blackjean shorts. "He was incredibly fast. Once, he actually outran police cars. He could be reckless. He also had a…um…tattoo on his right hand. He and his friends all had them. But I never met his family. He never visited them or even talked about them. Well, after we finished High School, we got married. It was funny but sad to see less than ten friends on his side of the church. I can show you some pictures of the wedding in a photo album that I have. Well, he died in an accident before we knew about you". She had tears running down her face.

Darren had been picturing everything in his mind. "What was my dad's name?" he asked.

His mom wiped her eyes on a napkin. "His name? That's something that I will never be able to forget. Your father's name was…Karl".

Darren lay awake in his bed. The light was still on. He was looking through the photo album his mom had given him. There was white lace surrounding the entire thing. He gazed at the pictures of his mom's relatives dressed in black clothes. Even his mom's wedding dress was black. He recognized everyone until he got to a picture of his mom kissing someone. From the description he was given, he guessed that this was his father.

'Tomorrow, you are going to find a new place to look for information on Pharaoh Atemu', echoed a voice in his head.

'Hell no, you are not bothering me about that now. I'll look for whoever when I'm good and fucking ready', Darren replied. He took off his necklace and through it into his closet. He looked back at the book. After turning the page, he saw his dad and looked into his eyes. He recoiled when he shuttered. He looked back at the picture of his dad in a tuxedo with three other men. One of them had short curly brown hair and a menacing face. Next to him was a man with dirty blonde hair that stopped just short of his glasses that slightly magnified his eyes. On the other side of his father was a man with shoulder length black hair and mournful face. His father and the other three all had a strange tattoo on their right hands. Next to the picture was an older one of a boy about Darren's age. He had long brown hair coming down to his chin. He was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt and blue-jeans. There was a duel disk on his left wrist and on his right hand was a tattoo. Darren looked back at the other picture. All of the tattoos were different but the curly-haired man's was just like the boy's.

Underneath the picture of the boy were words written in black ink, saying, "James, a great friend and loyal ally up until his death, caused by his own darkness. May James rest in peace with all those that came before him". Darren put a bookmark on this page and closed the book. He turned out the lights and went to sleep.

For the past year, Darren's dreams were where he could talk to Arcturas. But since he had the necklace off, he had a different kind of dream. Darren looked through darkness to see an image of his father the way he looked at the wedding. He ran to the image and it smiled.

'Darren, I've waited so long to see you. I didn't even know your mother was pregnant. You truly have my eyes. Well, sort of. I don't know where the gray came from. And in your mother's prayers, she tells me that you're an accomplished duelist and you play a guitar. I am very proud of you son. She also tells me you are aggressive because she forced you to move to the city. But you mustn't be mad at her, she did what she thought was best. Try and move on with your life", his father said. He placed his hand on Darren's shoulder. Darren noticed a purple light on his shoulder and looked to see that it was coming from his father's hand. The same purple light surrounded his father and he began to change into the kid that Sabrina had described.

'So… you're the amazing kid that grew up to be my father. Why as your tattoo glowing?' Darren asked in his mind.

The kid grinned and said, 'That's not something that you need to know right now. But please behave. I know that my temper wasn't always under control, but I did everything I could to make the world a better place. Maybe someday, I'll be able to tell you about it. Your mom told me about your Millenium Item. I think there's something about it you should know it. Inhabiting it is a spirit of an ancient Egyptian spirit. His name is Arcturas. He is supposed to be the greatest duelist that ever lived and was impossible to beat. That's all I know'. Darren's face dropped and the kid looked at the ground. Then he pulled a green deck box off of his belt. He pulled out a deck of cards and began flipping through them, obviously looking for something.

'I suppose that would be the greatest deck that mom has ever seen. What are you looking for?' Darren asked with a puzzled expression on his face. The kid form of Karl pulled a card in a purple case out of his deck. 'That's weird, I'm missing a few cards. Well son, I want you to have this card. I have a feeling that if you show it to someone at the library, they can find the book that you're looking for. Take care Darren'. Karl faded away and Darren slowly woke up.

That morning, Darren's mom didn't have to go to work as early so she sat at the table as Darren ate his breakfast. The photo album lay next to his food. He opened it up to the page of his father's friends. "Hey mom, who are these guys with dad?" he asked. Sabrina took the picture that Darren handed her. She smiled and tears formed in her eyes.

She took a napkin from the dispenser on the table and wiped her eyes. "The one with curly hair's name is Mitch. He was kind of annoying and your father didn't like him that much, but he was a good friend. The one with long black hair is Nick. He and your father used to hate each other and he even caused you father and I to… fight. But he too was a great guy. And the last one with glasses is your father's best friend. He didn't talk much but he and your father had been friends forever. He's the only friend your father had before we met". She gave the picture back to Darren.

Her son put the picture away and handed her the album. "And this guy James, who was he?". Sabrina looked at the picture of the boy and gasped. Tears ran down he face as soon as they were formed.

"James was your father's other best friend. He was funny and loyal and would always help until the job was finished. But his loyalty and determination to finish something is what got him killed. Your father and I watched as he collapsed down next to us. And the only thing he said before he went was that he was sorry for not finishing his job".

"What was his job?" Darren asked.

"That's not important honey", Sabrina responded.

Darren looked puzzled. "Well, what does it mean that he died to his own darkness?".

His mother looked at the message and closed the album. "I think we've discussed this enough. I have to be getting to work", she said and took the album with her as she left.

Darren arrived to City Hall around noon. There were three people before him in line, so he got to the receptionist quickly. There was a new one today. She too was wearing a small skirt and a tight blouse. But she had very bright blonde hair and a dangerous smile. "Hello, how may I help you?" she asked.

Darren wasted no time as he spoke very quickly. "I am registering for the Kingada Ka World Tournament. My name is Darren Fantasy and I am to be placed in the fifth level". The receptionist looked at him funny before writing this down.

"I'm sorry, but your level is determined by the rare card you put up for a bet. Everyone must select the card that they are betting and the better it is, the higher you get to be. Mind you, level five is the highest so you'll need a good card to get into it", she said with a fake frown on her face.

Darren took out his deck from the deck box on his belt. There were cards in red and black cases. His eyes widened when he saw his first one. It was the powerful card that his father had given him. "My bet is my Magician of Black Chaos. It is a level five card. Look, I have to go so see ya", he said. The receptionist had a surprised look on her face as he took a box with a duel disk from behind her desk and ran out the door.

'Arcturas, I have some good news for you' Darren thought as he raced up the library steps. He walked into the cool building and walked up to the librarian's desk. "I think I found a way to look for Atemu'.

Arcturas' thought came quickly and loudly. 'What! How did you find a way for us to get information? You've looked in all of the books here'. Darren took the card his father had given to him out of his deck and handed it to the librarian.

"Here, I was told that if I showed you this card, you could help me find what I'm looking for", he said. The librarian looked at the card and frowned. She was and old woman and her skin sagged off of her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, but my eyes aren't what they used to be and I can't read these letters. Could you possibly read them for me?" she asked. Darren took the card from her hand and read the title of the card.

"Um okay… it says Seal of Breaking Darkness".

**Yeah I know, there still isn't any dueling. But there will be, just as soon as the Kingda Ka World Tournament starts up. Then there will be dueling all over the place. But until then, please be patient. By the way, for those of you that want to know, in my story, Kingda Ka means Greatest of Kings. Also, the characters in the album and Sabrina all come from a different story. It is called Emblem of the Duelist and I wrote it. Check it out sometime.**


	4. A Duel With Destiny

**Here's where the theme song opens up.**

The old woman gasped and her eyes squinty eyes opened as wide as they could. She grabbed the card from Darren. "I wondered how long it would take before you came. A boy your age came here many years ago with a book and told me that I could only give to whomever had this card. I had no idea that it would take this long. Please, follow me". She led Darren to a back room where few books were held. She took a cloth from on top of a safe and performed the combination. She took out a book with a black cover and the same picture as on the card.

"This book will help me find Atemu?" Darren asked, his heart pounding against the inside of his chest.

"I am afraid I don't know. I have never looked in the book myself. The boy that brought it in said I must keep it shut. But I suppose he wanted you to read it. Here". She handed Darren the book and took him back to the library. Darren walked to a table and opened the strange book.

'To whomever should receive the card that is required to read this book, I must advise you to read this in privacy unless accompanied by one of the remaining three Emblem Knights. It is important that you never let anyone else read what is in this book', is all that the first page said.

Darren snapped the book shut, making several nearby readers jump. He ran out of the library. He streaked down the sidewalk toward his house. People jumped in every direction to avoid being hit to the ground. He was nearly to the apartment building when he was stopped. There were police barricades across the entire street. But what caught Darren's attention was a girl standing in the middle of the road. She had a cute face glistening with two brilliant brown eyes. And her light brown hair was pulled into a small ponytail. She wore a gray T-shirt that said "She Devil" with very short shorts that matched the sky. Darren noticed that there was a duel disk on her left arm.

"What is going on? What's up with those road blocks?" Darren asked. The girl smiled, flashing pearly white teeth.

"That book of yours, I must have it. If I don't bring it to my master, I'll be in big trouble. So you can either be a good boy and give me the book or I can take it from you when I lock your mind in the Shadow Realm. I would prefer you choose the first one", she said. She had a bittersweet voice that Darren wanted to trust, but felt that he shouldn't.

"I can't give you this book. I guess you'll just have to try and take it", he said. The girl made a very high-pitched laugh.

"I hope you have enjoyed your life, because it isn't going to be a very long one", she said. The duel disk on her arm launched two hologram projectors to show the Duel Monsters cards she was playing. Darren's eyes opened wide in surprise. He thought that she wanted to fight him. This seemed to be a lot better. He did the same to his duel disk and set his deck in the designated slot.

"Aren't you taking this whole dueling thing a bit far. I mean, I don't see how I'm going to die from a card game", he said. The girl laughed and drew five cards from her deck.

"Oh don't worry, you will. Now, I'm going to start this duel. I summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (A1400, D1200) in attack mode. Then I play two cards face down and end my turn". As she placed cards on her duel disk, the monster in her card came to life. A blonde and muscular elf stood nobly clad in brown and green armor, armed with a diamond-bladed sword in his right hand.

Darren did the same to start his turn. "I set one card face down and call my first monster, the Gemini Elf (A1900, 900). I will have my monster attack yours with Twin Spell. I end my turn", he said. From his hologram projector formed two women with long hair and dresses. Both women had strange markings on their faces. Plus they had pointy ears. They formed balls of magic in their hands. One of the balls was green and the other blue. "Fire my elves", Darren ordered, but the magic just faded away in their hands.

"I figured you would attack. My elf is immune to attacks from monsters with 1900 and more. Now that it's my turn, I summon my Celtic Master (2200, 1400)", the girl said. This monster wore the same monster as her first one, but this monster had short red hair and a beard. "Now my two monsters can do damage and leave you defenseless. Celtic Master, attack his elves with Breaking Diamond Sword". The bearded warrior swung his great sword and cut both of Darren's creatures in half. "Now Celtic Guardian, attack with Diamond Blade Strike. I end my turn", the girl said. Her first monster leapt at Darren and slashed him with his sword. Darren's life point meter dropped to equal how many points he had left.

Darren- 6300

Girl- 8000

Darren drew another card. "I summon Newdoria (A1200, D800) in defense mode and end my turn", he said. This monster was an orange demon with green hair. He was dressed in green pants and a black vest with a spiked band across his eyes.

The girl looked at the monster in disgust. "That is the ugliest monster I have ever seen. Not like my adorable Celtic Guardian. Anyway, I combine my Celtic Master with the Metal Silver Armor. Now my Celtic Guardian is protected from your Newdoria's effect. Now Celtic Master, attack his Newdoria". Newdoria was split in half and the halves shattered. Then the bearded man now wearing black armor with silver spike sticking out everywhere burst into pieces as well. "Next Celtic Guardian will attack your life points directly. I end my turn". The smaller monster struck Darren with his sword again.

Darren- 4900

Girl- 8000

Darren drew a card again. This time he grinned when he saw what it was. "I summon my second Gemini Elf. Then instead of trying to attack, I'm going to activate my Tribute Doll magic card. By offering a level four or lower monster, I can special summon a level seven monster. So I sacrifice my Gemini Elf for the Dark Magician (A2500, 2100)". The Dark Magician was intelligent looking monster with long blonde hair. He wore a purple armor with red trim. He also held a green staff in his right hand. "Since my monster can't attack this turn, I'll end mine".

The girl was surprised at Darren's monster. "That is a nice strong monster that you've got, but it still can't attack my Celtic Guardian. So I summon Celtic Archer (A1600, D1300) in attack mode". An exact twin of the Celtic Guardian shot from her projector. The only difference was that this monster had a bow and arrows. "His special ability is whenever her is on the field, he can destroy a card in your hand every turn". The Celtic Archer fired an arrow at Darren's hand and he placed a card in his discard pile or graveyard. "I end my turn", she said.

Darren was glad to finally be on the offensive. "I summon my Bazoo the Soul Eater (A1600, D900) in attack mode". Darren's monster was a purple baboon with golden streaks on its back. "Now I have a monster capable of destroying your Celtic Guardian. Attack her guardian Bazoo". The baboon grabbed the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, ripped a rainbow orb out of it, and ate the orb. "Next my Dark Magician will attack your archer. I end my turn". The Dark Magician raised his staff and blasted the girl's last monster to bits.

Darren- 4900

Girl- 5300

The girl's arms were in front of her face to shield her eyes from dust. "You…you destroyed my beautiful Celtic Guardian. I'll make you pay. We're taking this to the Shadow Realm", she said angrily. Darren thought he saw tears in her eyes. She took a red ring out of her pocket and placed it on her left index finger. The ring gave off an eerie glow and a black mist billowed from it and surrounded the duel.

'It is so hard to breathe in here. What is she doing? Arcturas, do you have any idea of what's going on?', Darren thought.

'Yes, this is a place called the Shadow Realm. It is the most terrible place in the world. It is created by nothing but darkness and too long exposure can be dangerous. Why not let me handle this now. I have been here so many times in the past', Arcturas answered. Darren nodded his head. The Millenium Medallion emitted a golden glow and a golden aura surrounded Darren. When the light faded, Darren's hair was black and more spread out. He was taller and his eyes were no longer the piercing gray ones of Darren, but the cruel, empty black ones of Arcturas.

"Now that you're done with that light show, I would like to start my turn", the girl said impatiently. I play the Warrior Returning Alive to bring back my Celtic Master. Next I play my Legendary Sword to increase his attack points to 2500". The older man reappeared in his green armor, only with a bigger sword. "Now I attack your Bazoo the Soul Eater with Legendary Sword". The armored elf swung his charged at Bazoo when three woman wearing light blue dresses and red pendants appeared and blocked the attack.

"Your attack is negated by my Woboku trap card", Arcturas said. He felt a small sense of pride at the look on the girl's face.

"I end my turn", she said.

Arcturas drew a card. "Alright, this is where I hit your life points so hard, you'll have no way of coming back. I summon the Neo Bug (A1800, D1700)", he said. This creature was a large green dragonfly with sharp pincers. "Next I activate Bazoo's special ability by sacrificing three cards from the graveyard. I'll throw away my Waboku, Dark Necrofear, and Tribute Doll to increase his attack points to 2500. Now Bazoo, attack the Celtic Master and eat his soul". Bazoo pulled an orb out of the monster and ate it. But the two monsters shattered at the same time. "Because our monsters were equal, they were both destroyed. Now Neo Bug, attack her life points directly". The bug flew at her and bit her around the waist. "Now my Dark Magician will attack to end my turn". The Dark Magician blasted at the girl with his staff again.

Arcturas- 4900

Girl- 2800

The girl drew her card and smiled, revealing the bright white teeth again. "Whenever my Celtic Master is sent to the graveyard from battle, I can special summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian from the graveyard and increase his attack points by 500. Now he can't be attacked by any monster", she said excitedly as her first monster reappeared on the field. "Next I activate my Warrior Soul magic card. By offering my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's soul, I can special summon my strongest monster, the Buster Bladder (A2600, D2300)". The Celtic Guardian transformed into a larger man in purple and gold armor. His sword was also now larger than he was. "And because he has the soul of the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, he can't be destroyed by monsters with 1900 or more. Now attack the Dark Magician with Dragon Slayer Blade". The Dark Magician was slashed in half by the giant sword.

Arcturas- 4800

Girl- 2800

"I set a monster face down in defense mode", Arcturas said as he placed a card on his duel disk. "Then I switch my Neo Bug into defense mode. I end my turn".

The girl was glad to be back on the offensive. She looked at her new card and looked at Arcturas with an unfriendly smile. "Now to make my Buster Bladder stronger. I play Monster Reborn on your Dark Magician. Next I use my Polymerization magic card to combine them", she said. The Dark Magician rose out of the ground and then the two monsters swirled into each other and formed a Dark Magician with blue armor and a large blade atop his staff. "I end my turn because fusions can't attack on their first turn".

Arcturas drew a card. He looked at the girl's monster with a frustrated look on his face. "I set one card face down and set a monster face down in defense mode", he said. He set the cards on his duel disk and they appeared on the field.

The girl started her next turn. "My Dark Paladin (A2900, D2300) can attack this turn. I summon my Dark Fire Soldier #2 (A1700, D1200) in attack mode", she said. A man in white robes holding flaming samurai swords rose out of flames that jumped out of the darkness representing the ground. "Dark Paladin, attack the Neobug". The fused monster blasted a white wave of energy from his staff the cut through the bug. "Next my Dark Fire Soldier will slice through one of your face down monsters". The robed man struck one of the cards with his swords and a brown bug with large claws grabbed him and squeezed him to death. "What was that nasty bug that destroyed my soldier?" she asked.

Arcturas responded by saying, "That was my Man-Eater Bug. When he is flipped up, he can destroy one monster on your side of the field. I think I'll start my turn". Darren drew a card, giving him one in his hand. "I summon Gagagigo (A1850, D1000)". His monster was a man-like lizard with spikes on its arms. "Next reveal my Swarm of Scarabs (A500, D1000) to destroy your Dark Paladin. Next I attack your life points directly with Gagagigo. I end my turn". An army of beetles crawled all over the girl's monster. Then the lizard punched her.

Arcturas- 4800

Girl- 950

The girl drew her card and grinned at Arcturas, her white teeth flaring away. "I hope you don't think that just because you destroyed my strongest card, that I can't create a monster more powerful than everything that has been played. I activate my Black Luster Ritual", she said.

Well there, I'm getting into dueling. I've also brought in the first of many characters working for the bad guy. And if anyone is confused, just wait. I will reveal everything eventually.


	5. Two Minutes to Midnight

**Disclaimer- The song played in this fic is actually Two Minutes to Midnight by Iron Maiden. **

"Whenever, I offer a total of eight stars, I can special summon the Black Luster Soldier (A3000, D2500). I'll send three cards from my hand to the graveyard to bring out my most powerful monster", the girl said. She discarded three cards from her hand and a picture of two swords crossing each other appeared on a door. The door opened and out flew a man in dark green armor. In his right hand was a large sword and a shield in the left. "Black Luster Soldier, attack with Lightning Blade Thrust". The man struck the ground with his sword and sent a blast of lightning at Gagagigo. The lizard burst into millions of pieces.

Arcturas- 3650

Girl- 950

Arcturas drew a card as his life point meter dropped. 'Oh hell, this card can't do anything for me now. I have to draw a usable card or else I'll lose', he thought as he looked at his card. "I can't do anything, so I'll end my turn", he said.

The girl seemed pleased with her playing. "I set one card face down and send my Black Luster Soldier to attack your last monster. I end my turn", she said. The warrior jammed his sword in the ground again and lightning struck the Swarm of Scarabs.

Arcturas picked up his card and his face fell. 'Oh yeah, this is just great', he thought. "I can't play any cards this turn either so I'll pass", he said gloomily. The girl looked as if she were too excited to control herself.

"I don't see how you expect to win when I have a monster as strong as this on my field", she said. Arcturas glared at her. "But oh well, I you choose this when you didn't hand over that book. Black Luster Soldier, attack his life points directly". Arcturas was hit with a large volt of lightning from the ground.

Arcturas- 650

Girl-950

Arcturas kneeled down to try and reduce the pain, but nothing helped. His body gave a slight jerk from the attack. He used all of his strength to stand up. He drew a card and glanced at it. "Alright, it's time I finished things up here. First I activate my Snatch Steal magic card. This will let me take control of your monster and you receive 1000 life points on your standby phases. Next I play my Dark Magic Ritual to offer your Black Luster Soldier for my greatest monster, The Magician of Black Chaos (A2800, D2600)". The monster that appeared was a blue-skinned human. A dark blue hat that bent backward to form horns had red designs and rested upon its long, black hair. The clothes in which the monster was dressed matched the hat in color but had less designs. "I'll attack your life points directly using my magician's Chaos Scepter Blast". The Magician of Black Chaos struck the ground with its staff and blasted an orb of black electricity at the girl.

Seconds before the attack hit her, a man jumped in the way. He had long white hair that almost matched his skin. His eyes were brown with tint of orange from contacts. He was dressed in all black with a purple cape. He held his cape up and the attack stopped on contact with it. "I'm very disappointed in you Destiny. I had hoped that you would, my star pupil would be able to defeat such a pathetic duelist. I guess I was wrong. You'll pay for this dearly", he said sternly. Then he turned to face Arcturas who was breathing heavily. "Don't think that you have won. I will get that book from you".

Arcturas took a final deep breath and asked, "Who are you"?

The man cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "That isn't any of your business. But you'll be gone soon enough. I don't have a name. I had to leave it back at the sanitarium that I escaped from. But for some reason, everyone that knows me calls me Sicily".

Arcturas didn't like the way that Sicily spoke. It made his stomach uneasy. "Fine then, if you want to duel me for this book, then let's go".

Sicily held his hand up and said, "I cannot duel you now for I must prepare. Destiny has failed her master to she is to be offered in a ritual at midnight". Destiny looked up from the ground in horror at Sicily and gasped. She opened her mouth to speak but Sicily moved like lightning and clapped his hand over her mouth.

Arcturas's eyes were wide open. "No, you can't do that. That is inhumane", he shouted.

Sicily grinned. "It was what she agreed to when she became one of my pupils, as indicated by her Shadow Ring. But your more than welcome to attend the ceremony. Remember midnight at the third warehouse on Remington Avenue", he said. He waved his cape over himself and the girl, whose name was apparently Destiny. The darkness began to disappear quickly and Arcturas was left standing in the empty street. He looked around for Sicily before changing back into Darren.

'We have to stop him from sacrificing Destiny. What he's trying to do is murder. Come on Arcturas, let's go home real quick so I can take a look at what's in this book', Darren thought.

'Yes, we have to save the poor girl. And who knows, maybe she'll help us. And don't forget to hide this book whenever you leave the house'.

Darren arrived at his house around 6:20. He walked into his bedroom and sat on his bed, opening up the book. He read for nearly and hour before he got a headache. "Oh man, this is some intense stuff. At least we know what happened to Atemu", he said to himself. He walked into the kitchen where his mom was making dinner. He could smell the beef for steak sandwiches. "Hey mom, I didn't hear you get home. Um I was wondering if I could go to a party that I was invited to tonight".

His mom put down the pan and turned around. "I don't know. I would be out tonight with some friends and I wouldn't be at home if something were to happen".

Darren gave his mom a hug and said, "Awe come on mom. I'll bring the Millenium Medallion so Arcturas could make sure that I'm ok. And I promise to bring my cell phone".

His mom had a nervous look on her face. "Well, I suppose you should get to know people", she said. The two of them had dinner and his Sabrina got ready for her night on the town with her friends. Darren was sitting on the couch with the windows open for a breeze when his mom came out of her room. "Well what do you think?" he heard his mom ask. He looked over at her. She was wearing a black dress and her hair was pulled up.

"Whoa mom, you look hot", Darren said. Sabrina laughed as she gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

"Remember to call if there's any trouble", she said on her way out.

Darren smiled and said to himself, "Now I can see why Dad married her. He would have been crazy not to". He picked up the television remote and turned on the TV. He started changing the channel to the one with cartoons. "Alright, all I have to do is stay awake for another 3½ hours. And what better way to pass the time then to sleep".

He arrived at the channel just as the voice said, "Coming up next is Duel Monster Frontier".

Darren smiled and said, "Ah, just in time". Five minutes after the show started, Darren drifted into a deep slumber. His sleep was strangely dreamless. And Arcturas didn't talk to him either. But a loud crash from the TV woke him up. He looked at his watch. "Oh shit, it's 11:15. I've got to get my ass moving", he shouted as he ran for the door. His mom must not have been home or she would ask what was wrong. He shut the door behind him. As he ran down the stairs, he paid no attention to who was in the way and knocked over three pedestrians. Within seconds, he was outside and running to Remington Avenue. "Shit, shit, shit! How could I have let this happen. If I don't get there in time, their gonna kill her". He stopped when he arrived to a street with heavy traffic. He was about six blocks from his destination and he looked at his watch. It read 11:58. "Mother fucker. It's two minutes to midnight", he said and began running through the sea of cars and trucks. While he ran to the warehouse, the following song played in the background.

Kill for gain, or shoot to maim

But we don't need a reason

The golden goose is on the loose

And never out of season

Some blackened pride still burns inside

This shell of bloody treason

Here's my gun for a barrel of fun

For the love of living death

The killers breed or the demon's seed

The glamour, the fortune, the pain

Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain

But don't you pray for our souls anymore

Two minutes to midnight

The hands that threaten doom

Two minutes to midnight

To kill the unborn in the womb

The blind men shout let the creatures out

We'll show the unbelievers

The napalm screams of human flames

Of a prime time Belsen feast…yeah

As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy

We oil the jaws of the war machines and feed it with our babies

The killers breed or the demon's seed

The glamour, the fortune, the pain

Go to war again blood is freedom's stain

But don't you pray for our souls anymore

Two minutes to midnight

The hands that threaten doom

Two minutes to midnight

To kill the unborn in the womb

For body bags and little rags of children torn in two

And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you

As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song

The tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun

All the killers breed or the demon's seed

The glamour, the fortune, the pain

Go to war again blood is freedom's stain

But don't you pray for our souls anymore

Two minutes to midnight

The hands that threaten doom

Two minutes to midnight

To kill the unborn in the womb

Midnight

Midnight

Midnight

It's all night

Midnight

Midnight

Midnight

It's all night

Midnight

All night

Darren arrived just as the song ended. He kicked the wooden doors open and saw something he hadn't expected. He'd expected weird people in black cloaks and candles for rituals. But the only things in there were a single kid about his age and Destiny tied in chains, dangling above a tank of water. But the water had a strange eerie glow to it.

"Let her go", Darren shouted. The kid snickered. He had long purple hair that masked most of his face. His clothes however, were all black. "I said let her go".

The boy laughed again before saying, "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I have strict orders from Sicily to offer her mind. However, if you can beat me in a Shadow Game, I will promise to set her free. And if I win, you give me the book and I offer both of you".

"I don't see how drowning a person tied in chains is a ritual", Darren said instead of answering.

"The orange on the water is actually a gateway to the Shadow Realm. Once she passes through it, she will be trapped forever in a pool of water with no way of escaping. Her lungs will continue to burn for eternity. And you shall join her once that book is in my possession"", the boy explained. He slammed his card into his duel disk and activated it. Darren did the same. There was a red ring identical to Destiny's on his right hand. It started to glow and the same dark mist cascaded over them.

**Well, what do you guys think of this so far? I know that the song took up most of the story. And if it offended any of you then I'm sorry. And just for the record, Duel Monster Frontier by Shortstop189 is actually a great story. You should read it. **


	6. The Longest Night

Darren braced for the dark cloud that cascaded around the two duelists. His Millenium Medallion flared with a golden light and Darren had transformed into the spirit of Arcturas. "Let us not waste any more time. I came here to duel and save someone's life. And if that means sending the mind of an evil person to the Shadow Realm, then so be it". Arcturas and the purple-haired boy both drew five cards. "I set two card face down and summon one monster face down in defense mode. I end my turn".

The purple-haired boy drew his first card. "I summon my Feral Imp (A1300, D1400) in attack mode. Then I set two cards face down. Now my Feral Imp, attack his face down monster with Lightning Vortex". The little green beast with pink nails and small wings ran electricity through its horn and then through Darren's face down monster. Then both monsters were destroyed.

"Thank you for destroying my Man-Eater Bug. Because of his effect, your monster goes with him to the graveyard", Arcturas said with a smug smile on his face.

The boy looked irritated by Arcturas' expression. "Don't think that this duel will be so easy".

Arcturas slipped a card from the top of his deck. "Alright, I set another card face down. Then I summon my 7 Colored Fish (A1800, D800). Attack his life points directly with Torrent Blast". The rainbow scaled fish erupted from the projectors and sprayed a jet of water at the purple-haired kid.

"I'm sorry, but I activate my trap card called Jar of the Hidden. This lets me see all of your face down magic or trap cards and select one to use. Then the rest are sent to the graveyard. I see, Bottomless Trap Hole, Dark Spirit of the Silent, I choose Sakuretsu Armor to destroy your monster. Next I summon the Witty Phantom (A1400, D1300)". Once the fish was destroyed, a red demon with long blonde hair and a purple suit appeared. "Attack his life points directly".

Arcturas- 3600

Purple-haired boy- 5000

Arcturas took the hit and rubbed his chest where it hurt. "I want to end this quickly, so I summon my Giant Orc (A2200, D0) in attack mode. Now my monster, attack with Bone Club". A large gray ogre with sharp teeth, a brown loincloth and a bone in his hands appeared. He struck the Witty Phantom.

Arcturas- 3600

Purple-haired boy- 4200

"I know all about your monster's effect and how it has to go into defense mode when it attacks. That makes it an easy target for my Jellyfish (1200, D1500)". A shiny blue jellyfish took shape. "Attack his Giant Orc". The jellyfish moved over the orc and there was a stinging sound. When the gelatinous blob moved, the monster was gone.

Arcturas drew a card. "Gr, nothing. I have no monsters. Take your turn", he said.

The boy was ecstatic with his next card. "I offer my Jellyfish for the Pumpking, King of Ghosts (A1800, D2000). Next I reveal my trap card, Night of the Zombie. This brings back up to five monsters from my graveyard as zombies".

**(Pretty much Bonz's Call of the Haunted from the Duelist Kingdom saga)**

"Now I have Zombie Ferral Imp (A1300, D1400), Witty Phantom Zombie (A1400, D1300), and Zombie Jellyfish (A1200, D1500). But these zombies can't attack on their first turns. But my Pumpking can. Attack him with Ectoplasmic Spray", Arcturas was blasted by gallons of green slime.

Arcturas- 1800

Purple-haired boy- 4200

"One more attack from him and this duel is over. But not if I can draw the one card that can win this for me. Damn it. Well, this monster will have to do. I'll play it face down in defense mode. I end my turn", the ancient duelist said.

The purple-haired boy ripped the next card out of his duel disk with excitement. "Alright, first my Pumpking will give them all a bonus of 100 points. Next it will attack your monster". The Pumpking blasted the same green goo at the face down monster.

"That's my Cyber Jar (A900, D900). When he's flipped up, all monsters on the field are destroyed. Then we can special summon as many level four or lower monster from the nerxt five cards as possible. I summon another Giant Orc, The Bistro Butcher (A1800, D1000), Great Angus (A1800, D600), and Luster Dragon (A1900, D1600)". All four monsters jumped up to the field.

The kid laughed. "I only have this face down monster. But my Night of the Zombies card reactivates and brings back my monsters. But now, they get a new bonus. They get a bonus equal to half of the attack points they died with. Now my Witty Phantom Zombie, attack his Luster Dragon". The phantom punched the dragon, destroying it. "Now you two, attack his other monsters". Only the Pumpking didn't get revived from the card. But the Zombie Jellyfish died because it only had 1800 points.

Arcturas- 1350

Purple-haired kid- 4200

Arcturas drew his next card. "Next turn his jellyfish will be back stronger. This should help. I set one card face down and a monster in face down defense mode. I end my turn".

The boy's zombie came back to life. "Alright, now I play my Cower with Fear magic card. This will make my monsters ignore your Giant Orc for one turn. Attack his down monster my imp". The imp charged at Arcturas's monster.

"I activate my Dark Capsule magic card", Arcturas cried. "This lets me stop one of your attacks. Then, I get to special summon a Dark Magician (A2500, D2100) and attack on your turn. Now Dark Magician, Dark Magic attack". The magician attacked the imp, making it shatter.

"It doesn't matter how strong your monsters are because mine will just keep getting stronger. I end my turn".

Arcturas drew a new card. "Whoa, it's this card. Well, let's see how good of a card this actually is. First I'm gonna flip up my Man-Eater Bug (A450, D600) to destroy your jellyfish. Next I'll offer it and my Giant Orc for the Invader of Darkness (A2900, D2500)". A man in a black cloak appeared on the field. Under the cloak was shimmering golden armor. "Now my Dark Magician will attack your remaining monster. Finally I can do this. I use the power of this, the Seal of Breaking Darkness. This will cut your remaining life points in half. Now Invader of Darkness, attack him directly". The golden man raised a golden sword with a demonic aura and slashed the kid.

"No! You bastard. You dirty bastard. You may have defeated me, but Master Sicily will get rid of you and rescue me", the kid screamed. The darkness faded and Arcturas returned to Darren.

The room was still the same. Nicole was still dangling from the chain over the orange water. But Darren noticed that there was someone else in the room. A familiar someone. "Congratulations one who keeps the Dark Book. But you won't be doing much celebrating once I'm through with you", Sicily said. "That pathetic kid thought I would actually get him out".

"So you're just going to leave him there?" Darren asked. Sicily nodded his head as a sickening smirk crossed his face. "If it's a duel you want, then let's go". Darren showed his duel disk.

"Just one thing before we start", Sicily said. A shadowy had reached from the red ring on his hand and went into Darren's deck. It pulled a card out. "We don't want this tainting our duel now do we". He showed that he pulled out the Seal of Breaking Darkness. He tossed it behind him and it landed in the orange water. Darren began to shout as the black fog filled the room.

"I'm going to kill you for that. That card was the only thing of my father's that I had. You'll regret this. Arcturas, let me handle this on my own", he shouted.

'_Of course, he's all yours. But just let me give you my strongest card',_ the spirit responded. He threw a card into Darren's deck.

"Now it's time for you to die", Darren started. "I set three cards face down and summon my Harpie's Brother (A1800, D600). I end my turn".

Sicily drew his opening hand with his insane grin on his shady face. "I activate my Model One magic card. This lets me summon a machine monster from my deck in attack mode. But the downside is its attack points are cut in half because it is a prototype. I choose my Jinzo (A2400, D1000). Next I play 7 Completed to boost him up to 1900. And his effect lets me destroy all of trap cards".

"No damn", Darren said as all of his face down cards were blasted by red lasers coming from a bald robot wearing black and green's eyes.

"Now my Jinzo, attack his Harpie's Brother". The robot formed a large ball of dark purple energy in the palms of his hands. It threw the ball and it shattered the winged man on Darren's field.

Darren- 4900

Sicily- 5000

Darren drew his card and frowned. "I'll summon my 7 Colored Fish in defense mode. Then I'll end my turn". The fish leapt from the projectors.

Sicily drew his card. "It doesn't matter what position your monsters are in. Thanks to my Fairy Meteor Crush, I may now damage your life points no matter what. So I summon the Robotic Knight (A1600, D1600) and my Jinzo will attack your fish". Jinzo blasted another ball of darkness. "And attack my Robotic Knight". The machine with armor like a knight's swung his sword and slashed Darren. "I end my turn"

Darren- 2200

Sicily- 5000

Darren picked up a card. "I summon my Bazoo the Soul Eater (A1600, D900). Next I remove three cards from my graveyard to activate his special effect and boost him up to 2500 so he can destroy your Jinzo". Bazoo ripped a rainbow orb from the robot and ate, causing the monster to burst. "Next I activate Monster Reborn to bring back your Jinzo. And because I didn't use your Model One card, Jinzo has 2400 points. Now attack the Robotic Knight to end my turn". Jinzo blasted the knight.

Darren- 2200

Sicily- 3600

Sicily drew a card. "Don't think that you're going to win so easily. I summon a monster face down in defense mode. Then I activate Shut Down. This magic card will turn off Jinzo, making it impossible for him to attack, defend, or destroy traps. I end my turn.

Darren drew his card. "I summon the Gemini Elf. Now attack his monster with Twin Spell". Two female elves with markings on their faces formed balls of magic, one blue and one green. They hurled them at the face down monster.

"Ha, you destroyed my Prototype 2.0. Now I can play the quick-play magic cards Final Test, Berserker Chip, Berserker Code, and Perfect Armor. Now my favorite monster can rise from my deck. Say hello to Project Omicron (A4000, D3400). Now attack Jinzo my perfect creature". The giant robot formed a large energy sword that shimmered blue in the Shadow Realm. It brought the sword down and cut through Jinzo. "I end my turn".

Darren- 600

Sicily- 3600

"_Oh crap, he has 3000 more life points than me. I don't have anything powerful enough to compare with that monster. And Seal of Breaking Darkness is gone. I think this is it', _Darren thought to himself. He drew his card.

"Okay Sicily, this is it. I activate my Graceful Charity magic card to draw three new cards and discard two". Darren picked up three cards and gasped.

**Well, it's easy to see that Darren is pissed. But what could this mystery card in his hand be and will it be able to take down Project Omicron. Find out in the next chapter.**


	7. The Power of a God Card

"Okay Sicily, this is it. I activate my Graceful Charity magic card to draw three new cards and discard two". Darren picked up three cards and gasped. "This must be Arcturas's strongest card. I've never seen anything like it. And twelve stars. Well, here goes. First I send Amphibian Beast and Opticlops to the graveyard. Then I activate my magic card called Dark Magic Curtain. For the cost of half my life points, I can summon one Dark Magician from my deck or graveyard. So go my Dark Magician (A2500, D2100). Now for the highlight of my turn. I sacrifice Dark Magician, Gemini Elf, and Bazoo for this, Thanatos the Black Angel (A4500, D4000)". A growling skeleton with flaming red eyes and a flowing black cloak appeared on the field. In its hand was an enormous death scythe that had a creature's bones at the top. The skeleton was a gargantuan monster, even compared to the giant monster that was Project Omicron.

"Wha, what is that?" Sicily asked with terror all over his face.

"This is my sweet revenge. Thanatos, attack his Project Omicron with Slash of the Underworld", Darren shouted. The monster raised its scythe and slashed down onto the opposing monster. The monster fell apart and specs of light flew into Thanatos. "I end my turn".

Darren- 300

Sicily- 3100

Sicily stepped backward several times. "No, there's no such thing as that monster. You're cheating. I'm out of here", he said. The ring on his finger started to glow but the Millenium Medallion responded by doing the same.

'_You aren't going anywhere. You started this and now Darren will finish it',_ Arcturas's voice echoed throughout the Shadow Realm. _'Now take your turn'_.

Sicily drew a card. "I set one monster face down in defense mode. I end my turn". Sicily had begun to cry.

Suddenly Thanatos's attack points jumped up by half of Omicron's attack to 6500. "Prepare to lose. I activate Raigeki to destroy every monster on your side of the field. Now Thanatos, attack his life points directly". Thanatos swung the scythe and Sicily collapsed to the ground. The shadows flooded into his ring. Darren looked around the warehouse. Nicole was still dangling, but the water was now normal. Darren ran over to the crank and let her down. He then untied the chains and the cloth around her neck.

The girl stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh thank you so much. I can't think of anyway to repay you. I can't believe that someone actually beat Sicily. I thought only Cairo was able to do that. But that doesn't matter. Oh thank you". She finally let go of Darren.

"Wait, what do you mean, by Cairo? Who is he?" Darren asked.

The girl took a deep breath and said, "That isn't important now. You have to get back to your house and make sure that the Dark Book is safe. I'll explain everything tomorrow. Go". Arcturas took off running back to his house. His watch read 4:17 am when he got home. His mom was asleep on the couch so he crept by her. He got to his room and found the Dark Book lying on his bed.

"Good, just where I left it. Arcturas, what was that monster that you gave me?" he asked.

'_It was my most powerful card. Back when Atemu was the Pharaoh of Egypt, he had three very powerful monsters. These were the gods known as Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and The Winged Dragon of Ra. However, there was a fourth god. Thanatos is the god of death. He gets a bonus equal to half of a monster that he destroys. He is the strongest of the Egyptian God Cards, after all, nothing is stronger than death'._

"Well thanks for the help Arcturas. Without that card, I would have never won".

'_Darren, I'm very proud of you. You did great for your first Shadow Game. But you should get some sleep. You have to meet with that girl to learn about Sicily and Cairo'._ Arcturas took off his duel disk and the Millenium Medallion before falling to his bed.

"Darren", came a familiar voice. The silhouette of Darren's father drew near until he was visible.

"Father", Darren said. His voice echoed in his subconscious. "I'm sorry, I lost the card that you gave to me. Someone took it and through it into the Shadow Realm".

"It's okay Darren", Karl said. "I sensed a very powerful presence come from you. Stronger than any card I have ever seen. I guess if you could wield such a power, than you truly can have these. They are my most powerful monsters". Three orbs the size of golf balls flew around his arm. They were blue, red, and gold. But each of them were surrounded by an aura. The auras were brown, blue, and red. Then they heard a strange chanting.

"Myoke Turahn Sheyempo Nelliot". The voice of the chant was very demonic. It sounded like the killer from Saw. Then the balls disappeared. There was a crash and Darren woke up.

Darren looked around his room. It was bright because of the sun peering through his windows. He noticed someone was sitting in his window with the book he had received from the library. They were sitting with their legs out the window reading the book intently. It was the girl from the night before.

"Hey", Darren shouted. The girl snapped the door shut and looked over at Darren. "What are you doing in my room?"

The girl giggled and flashed him her bright teeth. "I came to see you. When I got here, I saw the book sitting on the floor and thought I would take a look at what is inside it", she said. Darren got out of bed and got a shirt from his closet. This one advertised **Megadeth: Rust in Peace**. He quickly changed shirts and turned back to the girl. He picked up the Millenium Medallion and put in around his neck.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell me today?" he asked. The girl shook her head.

"Not here. Meet me outside and we'll go somewhere to talk". The girl walked out onto the fire escape and began to climb down the series of ladders. Darren grabbed his duel disk and began left his room. His mom had already gone to work. He left the apartment building to find the girl standing outside. "Come on", she said. They walked in silence for awhile. They eventually came to one of those restaurants that have the tables and umbrellas in the front. She sat down at a table and he did the same.

"First off, who are you? And why do you want the book?" Darren asked.

The girl was smiling at him. Her eyes moved into his and she flinched. "Okay, my name is Nicole Trapt. But I don't want the book. I was approached by Sicily and he told me that he would make me strong enough if I got him the book. He gave me this red ring so I could command the power of the Shadow Realm".

Darren looked confused. "Strong enough? Strong enough for what?" he asked. Nicole blushed and looked at the table.

"Um…nothing", she responded.

Darren looked at her as she played with a strand of her hair and looked at the table. "Well you mentioned that the only person that could beat him was another guy. I think you said Cairo".

"Oh, yeah. Sicily was a master duelist. He never lost. I used to watch him duel against people that would stand up to him. But there was another master named Cairo and he was the only person that looked like he was good enough to defeat Sicily", Nicole said.

Darren heard something echo in his head. "Um…I have this 'friend' that would like to ask you a question. Do you mind if he asks you?" he asked. Nicole shook her head. The Millenium Medallion flashed and Arcturas replaced Darren.

"I just need to ask you one question. Have you ever heard the name Atemu?" the spirit asked.

Nicole shook her head and said, "No, I'm sorry but that name has never been mentioned around me".

"Thank you, but I must be going. And thank you for the information". Arcturas stood up and turned to leave.

"No wait", Nicole shouted. Several people looked over for a few seconds, but turned back to their lunches. "I just want to ask Darren a question". Arcturas went back into the medallion, leaving Darren standing in his place. "I was wondering if you had a girl friend".

"No actually I don't. But wha", Darren was cut off when Nicole wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips up to his. Darren's eyes were wide open but found himself placing his hands on her shoulders. He felt like time had stopped. His mind was completely blank. Eventually Nicole stopped. Darren's eyes were still wide. "Well…um…okay. I didn't see that coming. Would you like to go and hang out or something. I can't after today because tomorrow is the beginning of the Kingda Ka tournament. But tonight, I'm playing in a sorta, open mic night at the guitar store. Would you like to come?" he asked.  
Nicole giggled and said," Yeah, I'd love to go. But you're in the Kingda Ka tournament. I wish I had signed up. But that would mean that you have to go away for weeks. Do you know how long until I would get to see you again?" Darren shook his head. Nicole frowned but Darren lifted her chin up with his finger and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I will win the tournament as quickly as I can and come home to see you. But the more we're apart, the more we'll miss each other and when I get home, that'll bring us closer. I'll pick you up on my way to the guitar store". He leaned down to kiss Nicole, then they walked off in different directions. Darren got home and picked up his red, hollow body True Tone and began plucking at the strings, looking for notes that sounded good.

Darren arrived at Nicole's house around 6:45. When he had arrived at his own house, he realized that he didn't know where she lived. But luckily, he found a folded up piece of paper in his windowsill. The paper had the directions to her house. Her parents didn't come to the door. She just came outside in with a big smile on her face. "Okay, let's go", she said.

Both of them were too nervous to talk until they got to the guitar store. There was a black and white guitar on the display shelf. It had a glass container on it. "I have to tell you something. This isn't just an open mic night. It's like a guitar competition. The winner gets that Fender Stratacastor that was actually used by Jimi Hendrix. I'm actually here to win this. I didn't plan on having a date tonight so this is kinda like you're along for the ride", Darren confessed.

Nicole giggled. "I don't mind. At least we're spending the night together". She stood up on her toes and kissed Darren on the lips. They walked inside.

"Hello! Welcome to Guitar Center's annual guitar competition. How may I help you?" asked the greeter.

"Um…I'd like to enter the competition. My name is Darren Fantasy". The man nodded as he wrote Darren's name down. Darren walked over to the stage-like area where the other guitarists were. Nicole went and sat down with the other audience members.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Tonight is a special night where the greatest guitarist in the city will take home one of Jimi Hendrix's guitars. The rules are simple. Each of them will play a song. Then the two best will play another song to decide who wins", said another man that worked there. About twenty other people showed up. There were rock, country, pop, rap, and even polka songs played. Darren played the song from the second chapter (The Not So Perfect Life). It eventually got down to him and another guy. "Alright, it's now time for the last two songs". The other kid walked up to the stage and played a country song. When he was done, Darren nervously walked up the stairs and plugged in his guitar.

"Okay, I wrote this song for someone very special in tonight's crowd. So even if I don't win, at least I get to play this for her" he said. He placed his fingers on the fret board and began strumming away.

If you let me take your heart,

I will prove to you

We will never be apart

If I'm part of you

Open up your eyes now

Tell me what you see

It is no surprise now

What you see is me

Big and black the clouds may be

Time will pass away

If you put your trust in me

I'll make bright your day

Look into these eyes now

Tell me what you see

Don't you realize now

What you see is me

Tell me what you see

Listen to me one more time

How can I get through

Can't you try that I'm

Trying to get to you

Open up your eyes now

Tell me what you see

It is no surprise now

What you see is me

Tell me what you see

Listen to me one more time

How can I get through

Can't you try to see that I'm

Trying to get to you

Open up your eyes now

Tell me what you see

It is no surprise now

What you see is me".

The final note echoed throughout the room but was soon lost in the applause. The clerk walked up to Darren with the Fender. From the other side came Nicole. It was then that Darren thought to himself '_Maybe living in this shit hole city isn't so bad'_.


	8. Round One Toon Attack

I know it's been awhile since I posted a new chapter. I've been wicked busy with my guitar stuff. But I thought I would let you all know that the theme song has changed. Since Darren got Thanatos, the new theme song is Stronger Than Death by Black Label Society.

**Hunt me down, seek me out, bring your best**

**That's how I want it to be**

**Full of doubt, full of fear, all's unclear**

**It's over 'cos now I can see**

**Like a tank, seething strength, crushing all**

**Pullin' you under my treads**

**Lost some years, lost some days, that's okay**

**I piss on what's in my way**

**Two faced abusin', mindless confusion, resolution**

**I feel I'm breathing my first breath**

**Manipulation, dyin salvation, you'll never rest**

**You can't kill what's stronger than death**

**Looked inside, found myself, it was me**

**Waitin' there in the well**

**If you're green you ain't seen, life's a game**

**Sometimes it's just hard to tell**

**Gougin' eyes, breakin' bones, eatin' flesh**

**Puts a smile on my face**

**Crawling through glass, eatin' nails, losin' blood**

**It's all part of finding your place**

**Two faced abusin', mindless confusion, resolution**

**I feel I'm breathing my first breath**

**Manipulation, dyin salvation, you'll never rest**

**You can't kill what's stronger than death**

And now to the story 

Sat on his floor with his back against his bed. His new guitar sat in the corner of his room. He had already taken Nicole home. He was looking over the cards in his deck. "I can't just through a bunch of powerful cards together and call it a beat-down deck. I have to make a strategy and stick with it. My normal deck just won't do the job in the tournament". The clear image of Arcturas formed next to him.

"So what kind of strategy are you going to use?" he asked his alter ego. Darren looked up at him.

"Well, I was thinking of basing my deck around Thanatos", he said. "After all, he's the strongest card I've ever had in my deck". Arcturas shook his head. "You're not the boss of me. I'll use that card if I feel like it".

"Darren, Thanatos is a lot of power to handle. And it's too strong to use for a tournament. I only let you use it because I was worried that you wouldn't be able to defeat Sicily without it. Besides, it really isn't an actual card. I was just able to change it into one from the tablet it was carved on", Arcturas explained. "I really don't think you should use it".

"Fine", Darren said sourly. "But if I need help, you'll give it to me, right". Arcturas smiled and nodded. "So, what kind of deck do you think I should use?"

"Well, you already know how to use a powerhouse deck. But if you want to learn to work with more kinds of decks, then I suggest making a deck that specializes with a single monster or group of like monsters".

"I don't know. What happens if I build a strategy deck and can't figure out how to use it right?" Darren asked.

"Look, it's your deck. Only you can build it with the cards you're comfortable with. But I definitely think you should change it up a bit". Darren nodded. He started selecting his cards very carefully.

"I think two more cards ought to be perfect. Arcturas, would you like to choose them? After all, you might be using the cards in it, too", Darren offered. Arcturas walked around the cards, obviously searching for a specific one.

"Here these two", he said as he held out two card. "I wouldn't mind working with the Magician of Black Chaos. And you'll need its ritual". Darren nodded. "And if there comes a time again for it, I'll let you use Thanatos. But for now, I think you'll need to get some rest". Darren took off the Millenium Medallion and put it on his bedside table, cutting him off from Arcturas. He lay down and fell asleep.

He awoke the next morning to a knocking on his bedroom door. "Darren honey, it's time to get up if you want to be in the tournament today", his mom called. Darren got up and cleaned himself up. He went to his closet and looked for a shirt.

"Hm, this one looks good", he said as he pulled out **Slayer: South of Heaven**. He put on black jean shorts and a black sweatshirt instead of his red trademark vest. He walked into the apartment kitchen. His mom was working at the stove. "Mom, the tournament doesn't start for awhile. Why'd you wake me up so early?"

I thought you could use a good breakfast before you go on your worldwide tournament", she said. She looked at him with a smile on her face. "You almost look your father's twin when you dress like that". Darren set the table and his mom brought over a large stack of pancakes with eggs, bacon, and toast. The two of them sat down and ate the large meal. "Did you make the strongest deck that you could?"

"Yes, I made it as strong as I possibly could", Darren said with a mouth full of food,

"That's disgusting honey. Did you get a good night's sleep?" Darren nodded his head this time. He got up and helped take the dishes to the sink and then went into his room to get everything he would need. He grabbed a change of clothes, his deck and duel disk, a picture of him and his mom, a binder with extra cards, and lastly, his Millenium Medallion. He put everything but the medallion into a bookbag.

He walked into the living room where his mom was standing by the door. "Well, I guess this is where I have to hug and kiss you goodbye", she said with tears in her eyes. Darren smiled.

"Oh mom, do you have to?" he asked. His mom gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "Ew gross, mom cooties", he joked.

"Promise me that you'll be careful when you're kicking butt around the world", she said.

"Okay mom. I'll give everyone an extra kick and tell them my mom said I had to". The two of them laughed and he walked outside and down to the building where the tournament was being held. There were five big rooms with numbers over them. He walked over to the one labeled five.

"Hello, and welcome to the Kingda Ka world tournament. Please tell me your name and show me your bet card to gain entrance to this hall", the bald man said.

Darren held up the Magician of Black Chaos and said, "The name's Darren Fantasy. Remember that name so you can know who'll be winning this". He walked into the room and saw that it was filled with duelists. He looked around for two certain duelists, but couldn't see anyone he recognized. "I guess Luke and Blaine aren't here", he said. There was the sound of a blowhorn from the front of the room. A huge monitor sat on top of a stage. A man was in the center. Next to him was the Mayor.

"Attention duelists", he said into a microphone. "Now that everyone is here, we would just like to make a few announcements. First, since this is the fifth level of the tournament, don't expect any easy duels. Anyone caught cheating will be disqualified without question. Next, you will have two duels in every round of the tournament. And every round of the tournament will be held in a different city, but not to worry. Duelists are given all expense paid plane ticket to every city. Lastly, your bet cards. If you lose, your opponent takes your card. However, you can choose to not take your opponent's card. Now then, take a look at the monitor behind me to find out who you are dueling. Let the tournament begin".

Darren looked at the monitor for awhile before he found his name and picture. "Okay, my match is against Walter Disno. That blue hair shouldn't be too hair to find", he said. He looked around for his opponent. He was standing in the back corner.

"It's about time you found me. I've been standing back here for nearly ten minutes waiting for you", the kid said. He was wearing brightly colored clothes and his blue hair stood straight up. "Well, let's get this underway", he said.

Darren nodded. He was a little freaked out by his opponent's appearance. "I'm gonna go first, all right Walter".

"Be guest Darren. Just be ready to hand over your card when this is over", Walter said.

Darren pulled out his duel disk and drew six cards from his deck. "I'll start by summoning my Exiled Force (A1000, D1000) in attack mode. I end my turn". A small legion of men formed in front of Darren.

"A weak start. But I bet I can summon a weaker monster", Walter challenged as he drew six cards from his own deck. "I start with Toon Aligator (A800, D1500) in attack mode. Then I set one card face down. I end my turn".

Darren drew his next card, looking unsure about his opponent. He had just bet that he could summon a _weaker _monster. "Okay, I play my Snatch Steal magic card. This will let me take control of your monster with the only side affect of you gaining 1000 life points every turn. Next, I'll sacrifice it to summon my Saber Beetle (A2400, D600). Next I'll attack your life points directly with both of my monsters". The tiny army threw spears at Walter as the beetle with an enormous glowing blade on its face flew at him. The spears hit him, but a pink spear struck the beetle.

"My Magic Javelin will give me life points equal to your monsters attack, even if I end up losing them anyway", Walter explained. Darren motioned to Walter that he ended his turn.

Darren 8000LP

Walter 7000LP

Walter slipped a card from his duel disk. "First I activate my bet card, the field card Toon World. But I have to pay 1000 life points to use it. Next I summon my Dream Clown (A1200, D1500) in attack mode. And I'll finish by setting a card face down". A storybook popped up and opened to a page with a popup cemetery. And a clown that looked like it was sleep walking appeared in front of a brown card.

Darren 8000LP

Walter 6000LP

"You're just taken hits of a thousand all over the place", Darren said as he drew his next card. "First I play my Swords of Revealing Light. This prevents you from attacking for three turns. Next, I sacrifice my Exiled Force for Vampire Lord (A2000, D1500). Attack his clown with Blood Draining Bite". The blue monster dressed in cool black clothes bit into the clown. Then the Vampire Lord turned gray and shattered along with the clown. Tiny pink particles floated through the air. "What's going on. Why is my monster destroyed?"

"Because my face down card was the Crush Card Virus. It infects one of my monsters with a deadly disease. And once the host monster is destroyed, the virus spreads to your deck, destroying every monster with 1500 attack or higher for the next three turns", Walter explained.

"Damn it all", Darren said as he discarded the monsters on his field and discarded the ones in his hand. "At least my swords will stop you from attacking until the virus is gone. And since my vampire did damage to your life points, you have to discard a card from your hand or deck. And I choose traps. I'm done".

Darren 8000LP

Walter 5200LP

Walter discarded a trap card from his hand. "Now that it is my turn, I play Premature Burial on my Dream Clown. All I have to do is pay 800 life points to bring it back. Next I play Polymerization to merge it with my Crass Clown to summon my Bikuri Box (A2300, D2000). Then I'll set one cad face down. I end my turn.

Darren 8000LP

Walter 4600LP

Darren drew his card with a dull look on his face. "I set one card face down and that'll do it for my turn"

Walter drew another card. "I summon my Toon Goblin Attack Force (A2300, D0). Then I'll play my Toon Index card. This will let me search my deck for a card with toon in its name and bring it to my hand. Then I end my turn".

Darren looked at the childish looking goblins in battle armor. "Oh come on, that's my strongest card", Darren shouted as he discarded a card for having too many attack points. "I end my turn", he said angrily.

Walter drew another card. "I sacrifice my Bikuri Box for the Toon Summoned Skull (A2500, D1200). Next I play the magic card Shine Castle. This boosts my toons up by 500 points". A light blue demon made of bones jumped out of the popup book, which now shown a large white castle. Darren was grinding his teeth. "On my next turn I'll be able to attack".

Darren picked up his next card. "I play one card face down. Then I play Hammer Shot. This destroys the strongest monster on the field, which just happens to be your Toon Summoned Skull. I end my turn". A large wooden mallet smashed down onto the toon.

Walter drew a card. "No matter, your swords are gone along with my virus. But it's not like you can stop my toon. Attack his life points directly with Goblin Mace". The goblins jumped with joy and threw their weapons at Darren. "I'll end here".

Darren 5700LP

Walter 4600LP

Darren drew his card quickly. "Oh man this sucks. I summon my Goblin Attack Force in attack mode", he said. A serious form of Walter's monster appeared on the field. "I end my turn".

Walter drew his card. "I play Different Dimension Capsule. This removes a card from my deck from play. Then in two turns, it comes to my hand. Then I use my monster's special ability. For the cost of 500 life points, it can attack your life points directly. So go my goblins and hit him again". The toons threw their weapons again. "I end my turn".

Darren 3400LP

Walter 4100LP

Darren ripped his card out of his deck slot. "I reveal my face down card, Raigeki Break. I send my Magician of Faith to the graveyard to destroy your Toon Goblin Attack Force. Now I can attack your life points directly". Darren's goblins charged at Walter and beat him with their maces. "I finish my turn here".

Darren 3400LP

Walter 1800LP

Darren's goblins went into a kneeling stance. "So, your monsters go into defense mode after they attack. Well, I summon my Red Archery Girl (A1400, D1200) who doesn't change battle position when she attacks. So she can destroy your goblins and stay in attack mode". A mermaid sitting in a clamshell with a bow and arrow appeared on the field. She fired a red arrow into Darren's monsters. "I end my turn".

Darren drew another card. "I summon my Seven Colored Fish (A1800, D800). Then I attack your mermaid". The fish opened its mouth and a blast of water flew at Walter.

"I reveal my face down trap card, Pain and Injury. Whenever you attack one of my monsters, my monster is unharmed but I still lose the life points. And not only that, your monster loses attack pints equal to the damage it dealt".

"Okay, so it's as weak as your monsters. I end my turn", Darren finished.

Darren 3400LP

Walter 1400LP

Walter drew his card. "Now I get my card from Different Dimension Capsule. Next, I play my Toon Mermaid". A toon version of his original mermaid leapt from the book. "And let's not forget her bonus from Shine Castle. But since toons can't attack on there first turn, you're safe for now. Go",

Darren drew his card. "I play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Shine Castle, weakening your toons. I end my turn". The castle was blown to pieces and replaced with the cemetery.

Walter drew his card. "I play my magic card, Morale Booster. This will power us both up by 500 life points. Then I sacrifice both of my mermaids to summon my king monster, the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (A3000, D2500). But since he can't attack this turn, I'll end it".

Darren 3900LP

Walter 1900LP

**Uh oh, Darren is facing down a cartoon version of one of the strongest cards in duel monsters. How can he possibly defeat Walter and his toons. **


	9. Round Two Spirit Realm

Darren drew his card. "I play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Shine Castle, weakening your toons. I end my turn". The castle was blown to pieces and replaced with the cemetery.

Walter drew his card. "I play my magic card, Morale Booster. This will power us both up by 500 life points. Then I sacrifice both of my mermaids to summon my king monster, the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon (A3000, D2500). But since he can't attack this turn, I'll end it".

Darren 3900LP

Walter 1900LP

_'Oh mother fucker', _Darren shouted in his head. '_How in the fuck am I suppose to beat that thing?'_ The response echoed in his head.

_'Have faith in your deck and you can't lose',_ Arcturas told him. _'You only need one card to defeat him. Think fight fire with fire'_ Darren nodded.

He slid a card from the top of his deck. "I'm pretty sure this card isn't what I need", he said. "I set one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn". The hologram of a face down card spread out in front of Darren.

Walter picked up his card and placed it in his hand. "I don't need to play anymore cards this duel. I have this thing won. I pay 500 life points so my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon can attack you directly", he said. The little dragon inhaled until it looked like a balloon. It opened its mouth and blasted a wave of pink energy passed Darren's monster and into him. Darren grabbed his chest where he was hit. "I end my turn".

Darren 900LP

Walter 1400LP

Darren placed two fingers on his next card. _'Please give me a good card. There's no way I can lose in the first round, especially not to this guy'_. Darren raced the card from the slot and looked at it.

"This is it. I'm sorry to say this, but you're not making it passed the first round of the tournament. I activate my Monster Reborn card. I reborn your Toon Summoned Skull. Because he was special summoned, he can attack this turn. So I sacrifice 500 life points. Now attack his life points directly with Lightning Strike". The skull flashed bright blue lightning through its body and fired it from its enormous claws. The bolts of electricity crashed into Walter, his life point meter rushing down to zero.

Walter knelt for a second before standing up. "That was a good duel Darren". He moved his blue hair out of his eyes. "I think that you have a good chance of winning the tournament". He walked over with a card in his hand. "This card is extremely rare, only two of them exist in the world. I was fortunate to come across this. But according to the rules of the tournament, you get what I bet. So here, take my Toon World". Darren took the card and shook Walter's hand. The too of them stood smiling at each other.

_'Greeeat, what in the fuck am I supposed to do with this. It's useless without those toon monsters'_, he thought. He let go of Walter's hand and let the strange boy leave the tournament.

Darren sat in a chair against the wall. He was flipping through his binder of spare cards. He found an open space and put Toon World in it. "I guess all I do is wait". He put his binder into his backpack and put it under his seat. He closed his eyes and rested his face into his hand and leaned against the arm of the chair.

_'Arcturas, thanks for the help', _he thought. He opened his eyes and he was standing in an empty black room with the spirit of the Millenium Medallion.

"I didn't do anything. You defeated Walter on your own. I had nothing to do with it", Arcturas said. He ran his hand through his wild black hair. "So do you know who you face next?" Darren shook his head.

"No, I'm actually waiting to find out. I think I have to wait for all of the slow duelists to finish up. But I don't mind the break. Dueling Walter really took it out of me". Arcturas laughed a little bit.

"It's just the pressure of dueling in the tournament. Just so you know, the further into it you go, the pressure builds up. You're gonna want to find a stress reliever of some kind". Darren shrugged his shoulders.

"Attention duelists, now that all of the duels are over, we are starting the second round. This will be the last round for today. Tonight, we will load up the planes and fly everyone out to the site of the second dueling city", announced a voice over the P.A.

Darren stood up and stretched his legs before bending over to grab his bag. As full as the room seemed to be, he noticed that half of the duelists were gone or leaving. "Well let's see", he said as he looked for his name on the monitor. His eyes searched over the screen several times before finally finding it. "Naveen, who is that", he asked.

"That would be me". Darren spun around to see who was talking. A man with very short black hair and eyes behind glasses was standing a few feet away. He dropped his backpack and activated his duel disk. "I hope you are ready" he said.

Darren grinned as he pulled out his duel disk and shuffled his deck. "Oh yeah, I'm ready. Ready to win this game", he said. He slipped his deck into his duel disk and activated it. "I'll let you go first", he said. Naveen pulled six cards from his deck.

"Okay, I'll start by playing a card face down. Then I end my turn, go", he said. He inserted only one card into his magic and trap card zone.

Darren pulled the sixth card for his hand. "My start is two cards face down. Then I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000) in attack mode". A warrior in red magical armor appeared on the field, brandishing a sword with a red aura around it. However, Darren was surprised to see a whole form on the ground beneath the swordsman. The warrior fell into the hole, which closed up afterward. Darren looked over at Naveen's field and saw that he had revealed his face down card.

"Too bad for you, your monster was above 1500 attack points, otherwise my Bottomless Trap Hole wouldn't have worked", the man said. Darren had annoyed look on his face. "My turn?' Darren nodded his head unhappily. "Alright, I play my Heavy Storm magic card. This destroys every magic and trap card on the field". A giant tornado smashed through Darren's face down cards. Darren was glaring a hole through Naveen. "Next I summon my Azura Priest (A1700, D1200) in attack mode. Then I'll have him attack your life points directly. The gray skinned, blue-haired monster with four arms that Naveen had played formed swords in its hands. It threw the swords at Darren, piercing him all over his body. Then the priest disappeared. "I end my turn, and because my monster is a spirit monster, it returns to my hand at the end of my turn. Go".

Naveen- 8000 LP

Darren- 6300 LP

Darren was knocked off balance by the attack and fell on his butt. He jumped to his feet and pulled a card from his duel disk. "Alright, let's try again. I set one card face down. Then I summon my Neo the Magic Swordsman (A1700, D1000) in attack mode". He paused and waited for Naveen to reveal his card. Out of the projectors leapt a man in dark blue armor and a long cape. He held in one hand a long sword and the other held a ball of blue magic. He threw his head back, moving the blonde hair from his face. "Now my monster, attack his life points directly with Mystic Blade Force". The warrior surrounded his sword with blue energy and aimed at Naveen. Naveen covered his face with his arms and the swordsman fired the aura at Darren's opponent. "I end my turn".

Naveen- 6300 LP

Darren- 6300 LP

Naveen drew his top card. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (A1800, D1600)". A bald man with a string of beads in one hand materialized from data particles. "Next I'll set another card face down. Now Kycoo attacks your Magic Swordsman". The man jumped into the air and karate chopped the warrior on Darren's field, shattering him. I end my turn, go".

Naveen- 6300 LP

Darren- 6200 LP

Darren drew the next card from his deck. "My next monster is going to be the Skilled Dark Magician (A1900, D1700). Now attack his monster with Dark Magic Attack", Darren commanded. The magician dressed in dark gray robes raised his staff in the air and a pulse of dark magic (like when Yugi's Dark Magician would do at Duelist Kingdom) flew at the bald man. But before the attack landed, a giant kaleidoscope looking cylinder appeared in front of the attack and sucked it up. Then another formed and the attack flew out of it and hit Darren. Darren was knocked off his feet and landed on his butt again. He slowly stood up. "I end my turn".

Naveen- 6300 LP

Darren- 4300 LP

Naveen's emotionless face didn't change, not even after he saw what he drew. "I play Graceful Charity. I get to draw three cards and then discard two". He drew three more cards and stared at the ones in his hand. Darren stood there as Naveen looked over every card in his hand.

"Naveen, if you can't decide which cards to discard, then don't play Graceful Charity", Darren said after about a minute. Naveen finally pulled out two cards and set them in the graveyard.

"Now I summon Inaba White Rabbit (A700, D500) in attack mode. Next I'll use it to attack your life points directly". The white rabbit grabbed a hold of a rocket/pogo stick looking device and launched itself into the air. The rabbit came flying down and kicked Darren in the head then jumped back to Naveen. "Next I activate my Creature Swap magic card. I switch my rabbit with your magician". The two monsters traded places on the field. "I end my turn. And because Inaba is also a spirit it returns to my hand. Go". The rabbit jumped into Naveen's hand.

Naveen- 6300 LP

Darren- 3600 LP

Darren drew a new card from his deck. _'This sucks. How am I losing so badly? I've walked into every trap he's laid'_, he thought.

_Concentrate and think before you attack. Don't attack if he has a face down card unless you know it is okay to attack,_' Arcturas said. Darren looked at his cards.

"Alright, I activate my Dark Magic Ritual. I send Invader of Darkness from my hand to the graveyard to summon my favorite card which also happens to be my bet. I summon Magician of Black Chaos (A2800, D2600) in attack mode". The blue skinned magician wearing black armor rose out of the ground. His long black hair blew in the virtual wind. He pulled out a staff and stared at Naveen's monster. Darren closed his eyes for a few seconds.

_'I have a good feeling about attacking. His card can't save him, otherwise he would have activated when I attacked earlier'_, Darren thought. He opened his eyes. "Magician of Black Chaos, attack his ghost destroyer with Chaos Scepter Blast", he shouted. The magician swung the staff around like a baton before slamming it into the ground. A black ball of electricity formed and flew along the ground at the monsters, but they moved out of the way. Darren stared confused.

"Reveal face down card, Stand Down", Naveen declared. "This moves my monsters out of the way so I take the hit directly. Then on my next turn, I can attack you directly", he explained. The attack hit him and pushed him back a bit.

Darren grinned as he watched Naveen's life point meter go down. "I end my turn".

Naveen- 3500 LP

Darren- 3600 LP

Naveen drew his next card. "First I activate my Spiritual Energy Settling Machine. This will let me keep my spirit monsters on the field, as long as I discard a card every turn. Next I sacrifice both of the monsters on my field to summon the card I bet, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi (A2800, 2900) in attack mode". A muscular man with flaming fists and hair appeared on the field. "Attack his life points directly", Navee ordered. The man opened his hand and blasted Darren with a stream of fire. "I set one card face down and end my turn, go".

Naveen- 3500 LP

Darren- 800 LP

Darren watched Naveen discard a card from his hand. Darren went to draw his card. "Wait, before you draw, my monsters effect kicks in. When he does damage to your life points you must discard your entire hand before drawing again". Darren shoved his cards into the graveyard slot and drew a card.

"I activate my Card of Sanctity. This lets us both draw until we have six cards". Both of the duelists drew their cards. "This duel is over. You can't stop the strategy I have for you. First, I activate my brand new card, Shadow Magic Ritual. I must discard the Dark Magician and Man-Eater Bug to summon my strongest monster, the Shadow Sorcerer (A3100, D2700)". The monster was the dark magician with black hair and no helmet. He wore a long black robe and only one hand extended to hold a staff with a scythe blade at the end. "Next I'll have him att…", Darren looked at the face down card behind Hino-Kagu. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon. This will destroy your face down card". A bolt of lightning struck down through the card. "Now I'll attack your monster with Shadow Magic Attack". The Dark Magician extended its arm and blasted the monster with its scythe. "Next I'll attack you directly with Chaos Scepter Strike". The Magician of Black Chaos blasted Naveen with another ball of lightning. "I end my turn".

Naveen- 400 LP

Darren- 800 LP

Naveen drew his card and concentrated hard on it.

**What card did Naveen draw? Could it possibly win the duel for him and knock Darren out of the tournament. Will anyone ever read this fic?**


	10. Live From LA

**Right here we hear the theme song (Stronger than Death) kick in. I would just like everyon to know, the awesome song in this chapter was also, not written by me. I suggest that if you haven't heard it before, you go and do so.**

Naveen- 400 LP

Darren- 800 LP

Naveen drew his card and concentrated hard on it. Darren watched as he studied the cards in his hand. Darren was nervous as to what Naveen could be formulating in his head. Naveen looked up at the two powerful magicians on Darren's field. "I give up, there's nothing I can do. You win", he said. The holograms faded. Naveen walked over to Darren and shook his hand. "Could you tell me if you thought if my deck was good?" he asked. He pulled the Hino-Kagu from his graveyard slot and handed the card to Darren.

Darren, who was in shock, stared at Naveen. "In that great deck of kick ass cards, you couldn't draw anything to defeat my magicians?" he asked. Naveen smiled.

"No, I didn't have anything that would have been able to hit your life points. Well, since I'm out, I'll be leaving", Naveen didn't take any detour as he walked directly to the exit and left. Darren watched the strange duelist take his leave.

_'Weirdest guy ever',_ Darren thought.

_'I agree', _Arcturas commented. Darren walked over to the chairs and took a seat. He watched a duel as he waited for the round to end.

Kid 1- 3400 LP

Kid 2- 350 LP

Kid 1 drew his card. "Now I attack your Harpy Lady with my Crab Turtle". The large turtle with a shell on its back charged at the blue-skinned woman with wings extending from her wrists. Kid 1 grinned as he watched his monster raise its claw to strike the monster.

"Reveal trap card, Negate Attack. This will stop your attack and end your battle phase", Kid 2 said, flipping up the last card on his side of the field. The Crab Turtle struck an invisible vortex and stopped.

Kid 1 wrinkled his face for a second before relaxing. "Stall all you want. You're just delaying the inevitable. I'll break through to your few remaining life points eventually. But for now, I'll fuse my M Warrior 1 and my M Warrior 2 by using Polymerization to summon Karbonola Warrior (A1500, D1200)". The boy slid two cards into his graveyard and his field lit up as a monster clad in shining purple armor appeared from data particles. It reached behind itself and pulled out a long sword with a shimmering white blade. "I end my turn".

Kid 2 slid a card from his deck. "I set one card face down. Then I summon my Harpie's Brother (A1800, D1000) in attack mode. Next I use the magic of my Elegant Egotist to special summon my Harpy Lady Sisters (A1950, D2150) in attack mode. Finally I activate my Chosen One magic card. I select a monster and two non-monsters and you pick one of them. If you pick the monster, he is automatically special summoned to the field. If not, then all three cards go to the graveyard". He set three cards face down on the field. Kid 1 looked worried.

"Um…, the one on the righ, no. The cen…no that's not the right one. Ok yeah, the right one", he said. The card on his right flipped up and the face let off a brilliant glow.

"Too bad, you picked the monster card", Kid 2 declared. There was an explosion of fire as a long red dragon with chains on its arms, legs, and head roared, filling the already noisy room. "This is my Harpy's Pet Dragon (A2000, D1000). Not only is he strong, he gets an additional 300 points from my Harpy Ladies". The crimson dragon roared deeply but quietly and steam billowed out of its nostrils as its points jumped up to 2600. Kid 1's eyes were about to fall out of his head.

"How could you pull something like that out with luck", he asked.

"You did all the hard stuff. I just had to pick a monster from my deck. You special summoned him", Kid 2 said through a large smile. "Now then, Harpy's Brother, attack his warrior with Mach Slash". The red winged man with spiky black hair and hawk eyes flew directly at the purple armored warrior with his right fist out. On it was a long red metal talon. He slammed the talon on the warrior's back, bursting him apart. "Next, I'll have my dragon attack you with Vixen Blast". The dragon had smoke coming from the cracks in its mouth. It opened its jaw and a stream of fire rushed out and enveloped the Crab Turtle. When the fire died, so had the monster.

"No, not my Crab Turtle. That was my strongest monster", Kid 1 moaned. He looked to see the face of triumph on Kid 2's face.

"Now I'll finish this by attack your life points directly with my Harpies". The women with blue skin and winged wrists all dove at Kid 1 and scratched at him with their claws. "Looks like I'm the one going on to the next round", the kid said with a wide smile on his face. The first kid sank down to his knees and pulled a card from his graveyard.

"Here, my Crab Turtle is the strongest card I own. This is the card that I put up for my bet", he said unhappily. Kid one walked across the area to his opponent and accepted the card. Darren looked to find another duel to watch, but saw that the holograms everywhere else in the room were fading.

"Aw man, and I was just relaxing", he said. "The first time since I met Nicole". Darren's thought focused solely on the thought of Nicole. Even though he had just met her and had only been her boyfriend for less than a day, he had a strange feeling that he had known her for years. Like they had been friends growing up. Darren pushed himself out of his chair and grabbed his back pack. Slowly, he worked his way back to they stage. The announcer was standing in front of the screen.

"Now that we have finished the first round of the tournament, we will be departing for the next stops of the tournament. Now then, everyone will be divided into random groups that will indicate where you will be participating in the next part of the tournament. Please find your name and report to your respective bus out front". Many of the duelists were confused as to what the announcer said at first. But soon city names popped up with duelists names next to them. Darren searched the entire screen for his name.

_'There, bitching. I'm going to L.A.',_ he thought. He headed out front and searched around for a few minutes for his bus. _'Please tell me we're not bussing it to L.A.'_ He got on and sat in the very back. After about ten minutes, the bus was full of duelists. A voice came over the intercom.

"Attention duelists, this is the bus taking those who advanced to the next round. We will be driving you to the airport where you will ride a plane to Los Angles. There are records of each person's wins at the airport so they will know who is really going to the next round. Thank you on behalf of the Kingda Ka tournament". The speaker sat down in the driver's seat and the bus hissed into motion. Darren looked out the window and saw the city side scroll by as he anxiously awaited his flight to his city of dreams. Half an hour passed when he arrived at the air port. He was standing in line and noticed that a sign by the door said the flight was going to be three hours.

_'No fucking way. Three hours! What am I supposed to do for three hours?',_ he silently shouted. He put his head down and moaned.

_'You could read the book from the library. It might be pretty interesting', _Arcturas suggested. Darren looked up.

_'But the message inside says not to read it unless I'm alone or with guys called the Emblem Knights', _Darren told him.

_'I don't think it would hurt if you read it on a plane. Besides, everyone else would be too concerned with their dueling to pay attention to what you're reading'. _

'Yeah I suppose you're right. And I really want to find out what's in the book. Apparently it's very important'

_'Well you'll get that chance today'. _Darren nodded with a look of determination. He took a step forward and the woman working at the counter looked at him.

"I'm going to need a duelist identification and I need to see your bet card to verify who you are", she said. She had a thick Boston accent.

"Oh, I'm Darren Fantasy. And my bet card is right', Darren said as he flipped furiously through his deck box, "here". He showed her the Magician of Black Chaos. She nodded her head and Darren walked into that plane. Darren sat down about halfway back. He pulled the book out of his backpack and watched as other passengers boarded. He watched several kids get on, including the kid who ran the Harpy Lady deck.

But one duelist caught his attention. He walked onto the plane very slowly. Half of his face was covered by long black hair (like Pegasus). There was a tattoo of the golden eye that was on the Millenium Medallion on his forehead. Starting at his right cheek was a tattoo of hieroglyphs that ran down the side of his face. It seemed to continue onto his arms. He wore a t shirt and pair of long pants. Darren thought that his clothes resembled the darkness of the Shadow Realm. There was a dark blue deck box on his belt. On it was the sign meaning ritual in Duel Monsters. By the color of his skin, Darren guessed he was from Egypt. His big, dark blue eyes were wide open and a sadistic grin crossed his face. There was also a tiny detail that Darren noticed. There were tiny red rings on the man's right middle and ring finger. The man took his time walking down the aisle. He was walking passed Darren when he looked at the Millenium Medallion and the book on his lap. He lunged at Darren but stopped before touching him. Darren pressed his back up to the window. The man's face drew closer until Darren could feel his breath.

'_Sicily was nothing. That book will be mine'_, echoed throughout the halls of Darren's mind. Darren looked at the tattoo of the eye to see that it was glowing. The man drew back almost as quickly as he had gone down. He looked forward and continued to the back of the plane. Darren looked back and saw that the man was looking out the window. He edged himself back into his seat and tried to steady his racing heart.

'_What in the fuck was that', _he thought to himself. _'Did you hear that voice Arcturas?'_

'_Yes, I'm not sure how, but I think that someone on the plane has the ability to use the Shadow Realm. I think we should switch', _Arcturas said. Darren closed his eyes and the Millenium Medallion lit up before replacing Darren with the undefeated duelist. Arcturas looked back at the strange man. Then looked down at the book. Flipping over the cover, he began to read. He hadn't noticed that the plane had taken off or that it had already landed. The book was filled with so much information and it seemed like it never ended. There was always just one more page to turn. His concentration was broken only by the intercom.

"Alright passengers, we've arrived in the beautiful city of Los Angles. Please exit in an orderly fashion and thank you for riding with us". Arcturas closed his eyes and Darren re-emerged from the Medallion. He picked his backpack up and put the book back in before getting off the plane. He followed the group of duelists outside to a bus and got on.

"Duelists, now that we have arrived in Los Angles, I would like to inform you that we have reservations at a motel. We were lucky enough to get all of you your own rooms. Not only that, the next round of the tournament will be held right across the street. Now then, since it's only three o clock, you are free to roam the city for the rest of the day. I hope to see all of you tomorrow at the tournament". The driver stopped in front of a tall hotel and the duelist got off. Darren noticed that the man from the plane was nowhere to be found.

'_I guess I imagined him'_, he thought. He walked into the hotel and talked to the check in person. He was handed a key and he rode the elevator up to his room. He looked around at where he would be staying. There were three bedrooms all coming off of an enormous living room. There was a huge flat screen TV in front of an even bigger window. Darren through his backpack in a room and decided to explore the city.

'_This is the fucking greatest. This is the city I've always wanted to live in. This is where most of the greatest bands in the world first started'_. Darren noticed a three-story card shop a few buildings down. "Ooh, card shop". He walked into the building and gaped at its splendor. There were glass barriers on every wall covering countless cards. _'Damn, there must be every card ever made on these walls. Well except for the Seal and Thanatos. Where should I start?'_ He picked a wall and began looking at all of the cards. Almost three hours passed before Darren was interrupted. Two tall posters hung on the wall, advertising new cards.

"Dude, they were just released today with the two new sets", a kid next to him said. Darren's eyes were wide with excitement.

"You mean these are the deck leaders for the Prehistoric Fury and the Rampage of the Swarm sets?' he asked this boy.

"Yeah, the Ancient Spiner and the Queen Widow", he replied. The two boys gazed up at the posters.

"I must have them", Darren said. He rushed over to the counter, startling the woman behind it. "Excuse me, I would like to purchase both of the new deck leader cards".

The woman smiled. "The Ancient Spiner and Queen Widow. Okay, here they are". She set two plastic cases on the counter. "You must be a rich little boy". Darren looked down at the prices on the cases and almost went into cardiac arrest.

"2500 dollars each. I can't afford even one", he shouted.

"Well then, move over for someone who can", said an annoying buzzing voice. A person behind him pushed Darren to the floor. Darren stood up and dusted himself off. The person that pushed him was slightly taller than him. He had short blue hair that looked like a beetle and yellow framed glasses resembling bug eyes. He wore a green T-shirt with a black picture of a bug and a pair of green pants. Next to him was a taller man with long brown hair that was dyed white in the front. On his head was a ski cap. He wore a pair of dark pants along with red vest over a brown jacket.

"Who do you think you are", Darren demanded. The men glared at him.

"I'm Weevil Underwood, the world champion bug duelist", the first boy said with his buzzing voice.

"And I'm Rex Raptor, the dino duelist", the other man said. "Now leave us. We must buy these cards so we can win the Kingda Ka tournament". The men both pulled out checkbooks and wrote checks for enough to buy the cards.

"Now if you don't mind, we have a tournament to win", Weevil said. The two men walked toward the exit. Darren watched angrily as they left.

'_Man, I would love to knock those two out of the tournament'_. Darren turned to woman. "Well saw few cheaper cards I would like to buy". Darren named off a few cards and bought the ones he could. He walked outside and it was getting dark. He looked at a clock at the top of a building. _'Five thirty. I had better hurry up and go do everything else I can while I'm here'._ He walked to the next corner and looked at the street name. _Holy fuck, the Sunset Boulevard!_' Darren took off running down the side walk. _Oh man, this is so sweet. Look at all of the clubs. The Whisky, The Troubadour, The Roxy, I wonder where the…The Rainbow",_ he said in his mind. He looked up the tall rainbow sign. Under was a smaller sign.

**Playing tonight at the Rainbow Club is Motley Crue along with opening act, Savage**. Darren quickly went in. It was everything he had dreamt it would be. He sat down at an open table close to the stage. The curtains were drawn so Darren got out his new cards and looked over them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the tonight the Rainbow would like to welcome back one of tomorrow's biggest bands, Savage". The audience started clapping while Darren put his cards away. The curtains pulled away, revealing a man behind a double bass drum set, a boy about 19 with a guitar, another boy with an ESP style guitar, and another boy standing in front of a microphone. There was another mic a few feet over.

"Thank you, it's good to be back. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Rick Savage. And to my fans, I regret to inform you that our beloved bass player and singer Dale has left the band. But lucky for us, we found someone even better. So everyone give a warm welcome to our new bassist, Andy Jones". A boy who looked barely out of high school walked onto the stage. He had a black **Rob Zombie: The Sinister Urge** T-shirt on with a pair of baggy jeans. There was a dark blue bass with lightning decals on the front strapped around his shoulder. He walked up to the other mic.

"I would just like to say that it's an honor to be playing with Savage. Aside from Sublime, these guys were my favorite band". The audience applauded the new bassist.

"Well, that have been said, let's rock this bitch". Rick slammed his first power chord and the rest of the band thrashed away on their instruments along with him. Andy leaned into the mic and made a loud blood curdling demonic scream.

**Rick & Andy: **Dig, bury me underneath every thing that I am rearranging

Dig, bury me underneath everything that I was slowly changing

**Rick:** I would love to beat the face of any motherfucker who's thinking they can change me

**Andy:** White knuckles pushin' through for the gold

**Rick:** If you want a piece of me, I broke the mother fucking mold. I'm drowning

**Andy: **In your wake

**Rick: **Shit rubbed

**Andy:** On my face

Rick: Teething 

**Andy: **On Concrete

**Rick: **Gums bleeding

**Rick & Andy: **Dig, bury me underneath every thing that I am rearranging

Dig, bury me underneath everything that I was slowly changing

**Rick: **I struggle in a violated place

**Andy: **Sell out motherfuckersin the biz that try to fuck me

**Rick: **Hanging from their T's rated P.G. insight

**Andy:** I ain't selling my soul when there's nothing to buy

**Rick:** I'm livid

**Andy: **In my space

**Rick: **Pissing

**Andy:** On my face

**Rick: **Fuck you

**Andy:** While you try

**Rick: **To fuck me

**Rick & Andy: **Dig, bury me underneath every thing that I am rearranging

Dig, bury me underneath everything that I was…you ain't fuckin' changing me

**Andy:** Dig, yeah come on motherfucker, dig, yeah come on motherfucker

**Rick: **Let me help you tie the rope around your neck

**Andy: **Let me help you talk your wrong way off the ledge

**Rick: **Let me help you hold the glock against your head

**Andy:** Let me help you tie the rope around your neck

**Rick: **Let me help you talk your wrong way off the ledge

**Andy:** Let me help you hold the glock against your head

**Rick:** Let me help you chain the weights onto your legs

**Andy:** Get on the plank fuck

**Rick & Andy: **Dig, bury me underneath every thing that I am rearranging

Dig, bury me underneath everything that I was rearranging

**Rick:** Wish you were committing suicide, suckin' on a motherfuckin' tailpipe, dead man walking on a tight rope, limbless in the middle of a channel,

**Andy:** Bombs away

The audience erupted with applause. The band took a bow and roadies moved their stuff off of the stage. The band members exited the stage as Motley Crue's stuff was brought out . Darren sat and watched as their stuff was set up.

"Um excuse me". Darren looked up to see Andy. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked. Darren smiled.

"Of course not. You guys were amazing".

"That's what we're told. But to tell you the truth, I actually hate that song. I like the band, but I don't like playing their music. I would rather play something a little less disturbing", Andy said.

"Yeah well, what can you do?" Darren asked.

"Quit". Darren looked shocked. "This was my first and only show with them. Tomorrow I have to leave for a Duel Monsters tournament".

"Let me guess, you're in the Kingda Ka tournament as well?" Darren asked. Andy shook his head.

"I was going to be until I received this", he said, pulling out a letter. "An invitation to the Shiek Ra tournament. It's being hosted in Switzerland and I have to leave tomorrow". Darren had a jealous look on his face.

"Well I'm in the Kingda Ka tournament. I started today in New York City, where I'm from. But tomorrow I play here".

"Cool. So how are you liking L.A.?"

"It's like a dream come true. I've always wanted tom pick up my guitar and move out here to star a band. But I'll never have the money. That's why I entered this tournament, to get out of NYC".

"Well good luck in your tournament", Andy said.

"Thanks, you too". The two of them got quiet as Tommy, Mick, Vince, and Nikki all walked on stage. At the end of the show, the band did a bow as well before leaving. Andy pulled out a cell phone and looked at the time.

"Oh shit, it's almost one. I've gotta go if I wanna be ready for my tournament", he said. Darren stood up.

"Yeah I should get going to". The two of them walked outside into the cool night air. The neon signs made it look almost as bright as day. "Well it was nice meeting you". Darren held his hand out.

"Yeah, and who knows Darren, maybe we'll meet again someday". The two of them turned and walked their separate ways. Darren hadn't taken ten steps before he noticed two figures standing in the road. They were identical in every way except for the fact that one wore an orange robe and the other dressed in green. They looked like identical bald twins. They each had glowing red rings on their hands.

"Keeper of the book, Master Cairo has ordered us to relieve you of the mystical book. But due to failures in the past, you will have to duel both of us at once", the men said in unison.

"No he won't", said an evil voice beside Darren. He turned to see Andy standing next him with a duel disk strapped to his arm. Something was different about him. There was a ghostly look in his malicious smile. There was also a golden necklace with five needles dangling around his neck. "I will duel along side him".

"Do as you please, we'll still keep you on the rocks. For you cannot defeat…the brothers Paradox", the two men said in unison. The dark clouds of the Shadow Realm rippled from the rings on their fingers, covering the four of them. The grin on Andy's face broadened.

_'Darren, something doesn't feel right. Let me take this one'_, Arcturas thought to his body mate. Darren nodded his head and the Millenium Medallion around his neck flashed as his gray eyes darkened to thick black. His blonde hair grew out and apart as it too changed to black. Arcturas stood before the two brothers with a determined look on his face (like Yami Yugi's, but with more anger).

"So I was right, you do have some Millenium Powers", Andy said. His demonic voice rang in Arcturas's ears. The ancient duelist held his arm out and the shadows around him began to twist around his wrist forming a duel disk. He shuffled his deck and slid it into the duel disk. Then a black orb drifted down into the deck as well.

"It'll be nice to use my old friend again', Arcturas said to himself. The other three duelists inserted their decks as well. "I'll start us off". Arcturas pulled six cards from his deck. The other duelists proceeded to draw five. "I open with one monster face down in defense mode. Then I'll set one card face down and end my turn". The brown cards formed in the Shadow Realm.

The brother in green (Para) drew his card. "My opening move will begin with Jirai Gumo (A2200, D100) in attack mode. Then I set two of my own cards face down. You make take your turn". A fat red spider crawled out of its card.

Andy drew his first card. "I begin with Skull Knight #2 (A1000, D1200) in attack mode. Then I set two cards face down". A skeleton clad in armor with bones attached to it and a wide sword. "I end my turn".

The second brother (Dox) took his turn last. "Go my Kaiser Sea Horse (A1750, D1600). Then I set three cards face down before I attack the Book Keeper's monster". A blue sea creature with a trident appeared in a glow of light. It hoisted its weapon into the air and hurled it into the face down card. A lamp rose out of the brown card and shattered.

"That was my Ancient Lamp. Too bad for you it not only ends your battle setp, but once it is flipped up I get to special summon every La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in my hand to the field", Darren explained. Two muscular, green genies flew out of their respective lamps and crossed their arms.

"I end my turn", Dox said. Darren slid his next card.

"This duel isn't going to last all that long. I sacrifice both of my genies for my Dark Magician (A2500, D2100). Now I'll have it attack the Kaiser Sea Horse". The Magician rose its staff and blasted a wave of dark magic at the sea monster.

"Not so fast", Dox interrupted. "I reveal my face down trap card, Draining Shield". A light blue dome wall formed over the ugly cretin. "This is an interesting card that will stop your attack and I receive life points equal to the attack points of your monster". The barrier faded.

"Then I'll set another card face down and end my turn", Darren announced as another brown card formed next to the one he played the turn before.

Arcturas- 5000LP

Andy- 5000LP

Para- 5000LP

Dox- 7500LP

Para looked over at his brother with a mean smile. "Nice play brother, now it is our team with the most life points", he said. He drew his card. "Since your monster is at 2500, I'll equip my Jirai Gumo with Laser Cannon Armor, increasing him by three hundred points to match the Dark Magician". The red spider formed a laser gun atop its head. "But I will not attack".

Andy still had a malevolent look about him. "This duel is boring. So why not change some of the rules. I sacrifice my Skull Knight to summon the End of Anubis (A2500, D0) to cut off half of the field". A purple jackal type monster formed from the shadows. "As long as the End of Anubis is face up on the field, no monsters in the graveyard can be the target of an effect. Plus, because I tributed my Skull Knight for a fiend monster I am allowed to special summon another one". A second warrior covered in bone armor appeared. "I end my turn".

Dox drew his card and a large grin crept over his face. "This is the first card that will be the cause of your demise. I'll use the Kaiser Sea Horse's special ability. By sacrificing him to a light monster, he counts as two offerings". The monster imploded and a ball of light was all that was left. The ball took the form of a golden orb with long arms with wide wrists. "Say hello to Sanga of the Thunder (A2600, D2300)". Lightning surged around the monster's arms.

"You are by far playing better than any of us brother", Para said with delight.

"Thank you my brother. Now Sanga, attack the Dark Magician". The monster raised its arms and blasted a bolt of electricity at Arcturas's monster.

"I black your attack with my Dark Grasp trap card", Andy said. A black hand reached out of the ground and grabbed Sanga, stopping the lightning.

"I end my turn by flipping up my face down Stray Lambs magic card" Two tokens shaped like sheep flew out of the magic card. This just creates two Lamb Tokens with no attack or defense".

Darren pulled his next card into his hand. "I summon my Neo the Magic Swordsman (A1700, D1000) in defense mode. Then I switch my Dark Magician to defense mode. I end my turn". The blonde-haired swordsman appeared in a kneeling position. Next to it the Dark Magician bowed down.

Para drew his top card. "Let's change the scenery a little with this field card, A Legendary Ocean. This will increase all water monsters by 200 points and decrease their level by two. This will let my sacrifice my Jirai Gumo to Suijin (A2500, 2400), the second part of our trinity". A demonic face emerging from a blue version of Sanga jumped out of the water that had filled the Shadow Realm. "Then I activate my Exchange magic card. This will let me swap a card in my hand with the card in someone else's hand. So I choose to trade with Dox". Darren looked surprised.

"Darren", Andy whispered. Arcturas looked over. "I've seen these guys duel before. They always do team duels. And what they're trying to do is summon their trump monster, the powerful Gate Guardian. They only need to summon one more monster to use it. I just need to know one thing. Do you have a monster with more than 3750 attack points?"

Arcturas looked back at the two brothers who were now walking away from each other. "I think I can manage to take out something that strong".

"Now I end my turn", Para declared. Andy picked up a new card.

"I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Invader of Darkness (A2900, D2500) in attack mode. And since he's a fiend, I get to special summon another Skull Knight. Now take notice that I have three fiends in the graveyard". The Paradox brothers gasped. "I remove those monsters from play to special summon my Dark Necrofear (A2200, D2800) in attack mode. Then I end my turn".

Dox drew his next card. "This duel is over. I sacrifice both of my Lamb Tokens to Kazejin (A2400, D2200)". This monster was green. "Next I tribute Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga of the Thunder to summon the Gate Guardian (A3750, D3400). Now Gate Guardian, attack the Dark Magician". The Gate Guardian was a tower of the monsters using Suijin as the feet, Kazejin as the chest and Sanga as the head and arms. It formed a pink ball of energy and forced it at the magician. The magician burst into pieces. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 5000LP

Para- 5000LP

Dox- 7500LP

Darren looked up at the totem of monsters. I'm glad you finally got rid of that End of Anubis. Now I can offer my genies and my lamp to summon my very own Dark Necrofear in defense mode. Then I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000) in defense mode. I end my turn".

Para looked across the field at the five monsters opposing his one. "This game is as good as over. I attack the Skull Knight". Gate Guardian fired a wave of pink energy at the tiny skeleton. The little monster was obliterated.

"Go Rope of Life" Andy cried. A hole in the water below them and rope flew in and pulled out the Skull Knight. "I discard my entire hand and this trap card brings back a monster destroyed in battle with 800 more points".

"Whatever, I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 2450LP

Para- 5000LP

Dox- 7500LP

Andy drew his card, giving him one. "Ah perfect. I sacrifice Dark Necrofear, Invader of Darkness, and Skull Knight to summon my beast of absolute destruction, The Great God Diabound (A3900, D0)". Andy's monster was a muscular beast with a black snake instead of legs. "Diabound, attack the Gate Guardian". The new monster punched a hole in the Gate Guardian, causing it to shatter. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 2450LP

Para- 4850LP

Dox- 7350LP

Dox grinned as he activated his final face down card. "Go Toss of the Coin- Heads. This magic card can only be activated when the Gate Guardian is in the graveyard. This summons my most powerful monster, Heads the Gate Guardian (A4200, D4000)". The monster was a tall, completely white soldier behind a mask that looked like the symbol of Sanga. It raised a sword above its head. The sword was black with a white blade. On the prongs were the symbols of Kazejin and Suijin, also white. The blade launched a black bolt of energy, hitting every other monster on the field. "My new Gate Guardian's special ability activates when I sacrifice half of my life points. He cuts every other monster's attack in half. (Diabound- 1950, Breaker- 900, Necrofear- 1100, Neo- 850).

Para pressed a button on his duel disk. "I activate the quick play magic card, Toss of the Coin- Tails. This works just like my brother's card, with the exception of the monster it summons. I call forth my Tails the Gate Guardian (A4000, D4200)". This monster was a twin of Heads, only it was black instead of white. It's face was behind a mask of Suijin. In its hands was a black bordered shield with a white center. The signs of Sanga and Kazejin were on the shield in black. The shield shot a white bolt of energy which also hit all other monsters. "For the cost of half my life points, I could cut half of your monsters' defense points". (Heads- 2000, Diabound- 0, Breaker- 500, Necrofear- 1400, Neo- 500).

Dox nodded his head to his brother. "Now Heads, attack his Great God Diabound". The warrior raised its sword and slashed through the god like monster. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 200LP

Para- 2475LP

Dox- 3675LP

Arcturas closed his eyes as he drew his next card. He exhaled and looked at it. "Powerful as your monsters are, they're not stronger than death itself", he said. "I sacrifice Neo the Magic Swordsman, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and the Dark Necrofear to summon Thanatos the Black Angel (A4500, D4000)". The Egyptian God Card appeared in an explosion of darkness. The skeleton spread long demonic wings and roared. The Paradox brothers cowered in fear. "Thanatos, Attack Heads and absorb its monster soul". Thanatos raised its terrible scythe and hacked the warrior in half. A blue aura surrounded the god and his attack points increased to 6600. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 200LP

Para- 2475LP

Dox- 3375LP

Para fearfully drew his card. '_Damn it, if only I had Heads. Then I would be able to cut my life again to weaken his monster. Heads would be more than a match for that beast. Maybe this could work'_.

"I activate the equip magic card, Autonomous Action Unit. For the cost of 1500 life points, I can special summon a monster from someone else's graveyard, and I choose to bring back my brother's Heads". Dox gave his brother a smile of delight. "Next I sacrifice half of my life points to weaken Thanatos". Heads raised its sword, but Thanatos' attack points did not drop.

"That would have been a good plan had Thanatos not been a God Card. So your effect doesn't work", Arcturas said courageously. The brothers gasped.

"I set one card face down ands end my turn". Para said miserably.

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 200LP

Para- 487.5LP

Dox- 3375LP

Andy drew his card and grinned evilly. "Activate face down card, Call of the Haunted. This trap card lets me bring one monster from my graveyard back to the field, so Diabound comes back for another round. Diabound, attack Dox directly". The monster struck Dox so hard that he flew back into the Shadow Realm and disappeared. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3750LP

Andy- 200LP

Para- 487.5LP

Dox- 0LP

"That brings it back to me", Arcturas said excitedly. He drew his card and pointed at Heads. "Thanatos, attack Heads again and wipe out Para's life points", he ordered. The monster raised its scythe again and cut through the same monster. Its strength jumped up to 8700. Para screamed and held his head. The Shadow Realm withdrew into the ring along with Para. The ring fell to the ground and shattered.

"Well we sure showed them", Andy said as his duel disk deactivated. He still had the mean look about him. Arcturas' shadow disk disappeared.

"Andy, where did you get that necklace?" he asked. Andy laughed and turned to walk the way he was initially headed.

"Like I said before Darren, maybe we'll meet again someday". He walked off into the dark and disappeared. The Millenium Medallion shimmered and Darren once again to control of his body.

_'Darren, we have to get back to the hotel. You need your rest for the tournament tomorrow. They're going to be harder duels in this round_', Arcturas said. Darren nodded and walked back to the hotel. He arrived at the hotel at about quarter after three. He walked into a random bedroom and flopped down on his bed and fell asleep before hitting the sheets.

**Finally, this is what's probably my best chapter for this fic. From now on, I'm going to try and write all of them. This duel is a major one later on in the fic. **


	11. Prehistoric Power, Ninja Nightmare

**And we open to the next chapter with the theme song, Stronger Than Death.**

Darren rolled over and moaned. There was a loud ringing filling his head. His eyes shot open and darted around their sockets. Darren clasped his hands to his ears. He looked at the alarm clock next to his bed. It had been set for eight o' clock. Darren growled as he shifted the clock to its quiet mode. A harsh pounding came from the other room.

_'What in the hell is that noise?_' Darren thought. He pushed himself off of the giant bed and grabbed the Millenium Medallion. He walked out of the room and looked at the front door. The banging grew louder as he drew near.

"Mr. Fantasy?" a man in a blue suit asked. Darren rubbed his eyes before answering.

"Yeah that's me. What's up?" he asked. The man looked up from a clipboard.

"Don't you know you're late to the tournament. The pairings are starting in ten minutes, you might want to get ready". Darren's eyes spread across his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you for waking me up". Darren slammed the door in his face and ran into the bedroom he had thrown his backpack in. He pulled his duel disk out and ran out. He followed the suited man down to the lobby and darted across the street, into the building the tournament was being held in. He arrived with a few minutes to spare. He walked over to the section with seats and sat down to catch his breath.

_'You realize you left all of your stuff back in your room, right?', _Arcturas thought to his host.

_'I've got my deck and my duel disk. That's all I need right now. I can get everything later_', Darren responded. He took a final deep breath to steady his pace and looked up to find the pairings on the board. He scanned the board, looking for his own name.

"Rex Raptor? Now why does that name sound familiar? I feel like I heard it recently", Darren thought out loud. His memory raced over the last couple of days to the card shop yesterday.

/Flashback/

"_Excuse me, I would like to purchase both of the new deck leader cards"._

_The woman smiled. "The Ancient Spiner and Queen Widow. Okay, here they are". She set two plastic cases on the counter. "You must be a rich little boy". Darren looked down at the prices on the cases and almost went into cardiac arrest. _

"_2500 dollars each. I can't afford even one", he shouted. _

"_Well then, move over for someone who can", said an annoying buzzing voice. A person behind him pushed Darren to the floor. Darren stood up and dusted himself off. The person that pushed him was slightly taller than him. He had short blue hair that looked like a beetle and yellow framed glasses resembling bug eyes. He wore a green T-shirt with a black picture of a bug and a pair of green pants. Next to him was a taller man with long brown hair that was dyed white in the front. On his head was a ski cap. He wore a pair of dark pants along with red vest over a brown jacket. _

"_Who do you think you are", Darren demanded. The men glared at him. _

"_I'm Weevil Underwood, the world champion bug duelist", the first boy said with his buzzing voice. _

"_And I'm Rex Raptor, the dino duelist", the other man said. "Now leave us. We must buy these cards so we can win the Kingda Ka tournament". The men both pulled out checkbooks and wrote checks for enough to buy the cards. _

"_Now if you don't mind, we have a tournament to win", Weevil said. The two men walked toward the exit. Darren watched angrily as they left._

/End Flashback/

"That's who it is!" Darren burst out. "Now where is that pompous fuck?"

"Maybe, that pompus fuck is right behind you". Darren whipped around to see the man from the card shop the day before. "You! You're the kid from the card shop yesterday. I thought I recognized your picture on the monitor". Darren noticed the deck sitting in Rex's duel disk.

"Yeah, you bought the Ancient Spiner I wanted", Darren said. Rex grinned confidently.

"Well when you're a wealthy professional duelist like myself, you can afford all the best cards", he gloated. Darren glared at the dinosaur duelist. "What's the matter, dino got your tongue?"

"No, I was just happy knowing I'm the one who'll be taking you out of the tournament. Now shuffle your deck dino breath", Darren remarked. He lifted his own deck from the slot and shuffle it. He stopped for a second and searched his cards. He stopped at one and took it out.

'_Good thinking Darren, it wouldn't be a good idea to pull Thanatos out. Especially since you're dueling someone with a broad library of cards',_ Arcturas thought. Darren grunted in agreement. He slipped Thanatos into the deck box on his belt.

"I'm a generous guy", Rex stated as he inserted his deck back into his duel disk. "And I'm sure it must be an honor to be playing me. So I'll let you go first", he said. Darren had an annoyed look on his face.

"Gee thanks". Pulling the top six cards from the top of his deck, he started the duel. I'll begin with Blast Magician (A1400, D1700) in attack mode. Then I'll set one card face down and end my turn".

"What a runt-a-saurus", Rex commented. He looked at the mage standing in red armor, wielding a scythe. "I'll make sure that monster becomes extinct. I summon Armored Lizard (A1500, D1200) in attack mode. Now attack his magician with Armor Claws". The blue lizard leapt into the air and sank its claws into the Blast Magician. Darren watched his monster's data bits return to the projectors. "I'll end my tossing out a card face down".

Darren- 7900LP

Rex- 8000LP

Darren drew his next card. "My last magician couldn't stand up to your lizard, but let's see how this one does. Go Rapid-Fire Magician (A1600, D1200)". The projectors spat out a purple-haired magician clad in purple robes and dual-wielding staves. Different colored orbs floated around the monster. "Next I reveal my face down trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone". A round, black orb appeared on the field. Engraved on the stone was a upside down yellow triangle. The corners of the triangle emitted blue glows.

"What does that card do?" Rex asked.

"What? You, the great Rex Raptor doesn't know what my card does. You must be kidding me. Well if you don't know, then I suppose you'll have to find out. But for right now, I attack with Rapid Fire". The magician raised its left staff and the orbs ignited. The balls of fire rained down on the lizard.

"You know, not all falling fire balls can destroy my monsters. Go, Reinforcements trap card", Rex cried. The lizard growled as its attack jumped. "This handy little trap card pumps my monster up by 500". The lizard leapt through the fireballs and scratched the magician. Like the one before it, it burst into pieces. "Now your field is wide open".

Darren scowled as the lizard landed back to its post. "I'll drop another card face down and end my turn".

Darren- 7500LP

Rex- 8000LP

Rex smiled with glee. _'He's just like everyone else. No one but me respects dinosaur monsters. They're aren't many, and there aren't many cards made to help them. But once I win this tournament, I'll make them see how good my dinos are. When Rex became the world champ, everyone wanted a stupid insect deck. But this time, I'll be the champion_', he thought to himself.

"I summon Black Stego (A1200, D2000) in attack mode. Then I'll place a new card face down. Now hit his life points directly Black Stego". The crazed stegosaurus charged at Darren and smacked him in the chest with the spines on its tail. "Next Armored Lizard will attack your life points directly". The reptile monster jumped at Darren again with its claws extended.

"Reveal face down trap card, Spellbinding Circle. This card will stop your monster from attacking and from changing battle position". A circle with strange designs formed around the lizard and dragged him back to Rex's side of the field.

"I end my turn", Rex said grumpily.

Darren- 6300LP

Rex- 8000LP

Darren picked up his next card. "Activate Pot of Greed. This will give me two extra cards". Darren picked up two more cards. "Now, I summon my Skilled Dark Magcian (A1900, D1700) in attack mode". A monster in dark robes took form on Darren's field. Now I'll have him attack your Black Stego with Dark Magic Attack". A streak of black magic flew across the field at the stegosaurus. The dinosaur monster held its tail up and stopped the attack. "What's going on?"

"Well isn't it obvious?" Rex asked. Darren shook his head. "When Black Stego is attacked, it switches to defense mode. And since its defense points were high enough, it was able to withstand your assault".

"That'll do it for my turn".

Darren- 6200LP

Rex- 8000LP

Rex pulled the next card from his hand. "The next monster I call to my field is my Black Ptera (A1000, D500) in attack mode. Then I switch my Black Stego to attack mode. I end my turn". A dark pterodactyl took flight next to Rex's other monsters.

Darren drew his next card. "I summon my La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000)". Darren's big, green genie came out of its lamp.

_'He must want me to attack. Why else would he switch his monsters to attack. All of those monsters are weaker than mine_'. Darren glanced over at the face down card. _'That must be another card like his reinforcements. And I don't want to clear my own field_'.

"I end my turn Rex".

Rex grinned and drew his top card. "Perfect. I sacrifice my Black Ptera and my Black Stego to summon the Black Tyranno (A2600, D1800). Next I pull my Black Ptera back to my hand since it wasn't destroyed in battle. Now Black Tyranno, attack his magician". The Tyrannosaurus ran over and ate the magician in one bite. "I end my turn.

Darren- 5500LP

Rex- 8000LP

Darren drew his card for the turn. "I summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000)". The red armored warrior with a shield and sword appeared. "When he is summoned, he gets a counter that strengthens him by 300. But I'll remove that counter to destroy your face down card". Breaker's sword gleamed red and fired a bolt of energy at the face down card. "Then I'll attack your Armored Lizard". The warrior flew across the field and cut the lizard in half. "I end my turn with one card face down".

Darren- 5500LP

Rex- 7900LP

Andy was walking on top of a building. Next to him was the colorful sign of the Rainbow Club. He looked down onto the street below. _Darren had a Millenium Item. And the Paradox brothers were able to call the power of the Shadow Realm. But how? The Shadow Realm needs a Millenium Item and I didn't sense Darren doing anything'. _Andy turned his head and something caught his eye. Something glistening red shimmered slightly from between the cracks in the street.

_/Flashback/_

_"That brings it back to me", Arcturas said excitedly. He drew his card and pointed at Heads. "Thanatos, attack Heads again and wipe out Para's life points", he ordered. The monster raised its scythe again and cut through the same monster. Its strength jumped up to 8700. Para screamed and held his head. The Shadow Realm withdrew into the ring along with Para. The ring fell to the ground and shattered.'_

_/End Flashback/_

'_The ring', _Andy thought. He jumped off the side of the club and walked into the middle of the street. "Yes, I feel it now. The ring is what allowed the idiot brothers to use the Shadow Realm". He closed his eyes and his necklace began to glow and the needles stuck out straight. Red dust particles lifted off the ground and floated around Andy. He held his hand out and the red dust made a big pile in his hand. "It needs souls. The Shiek Ra tournament is filled with powerful duelist souls". He turned and began to walk down the road.

Rex drew his card. Darren had finally hit his life points. "I summon my Black Ptera back to the field. Next I'll attack your Breaker with my Black Tyranno". The prehistoric monster devoured Breaker as well. "But since my Black Ptera is nowhere near as powerful as your La Jinn, I'll end my turn.

Darren- 4500LP

Rex- 7900LP

Darren picked up a card. "That's more like it. It's time to turn this duel around. I activate my Dark Magic Ritual. I'll tribute Dark Magician from my hand and La Jinn from my field in order to summon the Magician of Black Chaos (A2800, D2600)". The powerful spell caster leapt from the seal on the floor. "Next I'll revive my Breaker with Call of the Haunted. Now Magician of Black Chaos, attack the Black Tyranno with Chaos Scepter Blast". The mage blasted a ball of black lightning at the dinosaur monster.

"Not so fast kid. I reveal my face down card, Graceful Dice. I can roll a die and my monster is powered up one hundred times the number it lands on". The blue die bounced on the ground and came to a stop, revealing one dot. Darren used everything he had to refrain from laughing. "What? A one? What are the chances of me getting a one?" The ball of lightning crashed into the dinosaur.

"But I'm not finished. Breaker, attack his Black Ptera with Breaking Blade". The warrior darted across the playing field and cut through the flying monster. "Now I end my turn".

Darren- 4500LP

Rex- 7200LP

Rex had a look to kill on his face as he drew his card. _Destroys my Tyranno on a luck draw. He's just like that punk Wheeler. And it's bullshit that my Graceful dice crapped out on me_', he thought. He looked at his card and a shit-eater grin worked itself across his face. "Are you still mad that I bought the Ancient Spiner? Because if you are, then you'll be furious with this next move. I summon my Balloon Lizard (A500, D1900) in attack mode. When he comes into play, he too gets a counter. So first I'll remove the counter, dealing you 400 points of direct damage". A lizard that was inflated to look like a ball with legs and a tail. "Then I'll activate my Ultra Evolution Pill. This will sacrifice my lizard so I can special summon the Ancient Spiner (A3000, D2400)". The monstrosity roared its way into existence. "When it's summoned, it sends every card in my hand to the graveyard, so I lose my Twin-Headed King Rex. But its sacrifice was not in vain because my monster gains an additional 300 points for each dinosaur card in the graveyard. Plus he can't be targeted by magic or trap cards".

_'Now would be a very nice time to draw Thanatos', _Darren thought.

_'It wouldn't be of any help if you drew it now. Remember, you need to sacrifice three monsters to summon it. You only have one'_, Arcturas replied.

"Ancient Spiner, attack his Magician of Black Chaos with Roar of Fury", Rex called out. The monster leaned forward and opened its mouth. A red burst of energy streamed at the magician, destroying it. "I end my turn".

Darren- 3000LP

Rex- 7900LP

Darren looked up at the terrible beast that loomed over him. _Should I just give up Arcturas? Not even my Shadow Sorcerer could stand up to this monster now. And I can't hit it with a magic or trap card'_.

_'No, you must never give up. As long as you have a life point, you still have the power to win'._ Darren looked at his deck and got a confidant look on his face.

"I'll beat you Rex, somehow", Darren told his opponent. Rex cocked an eyebrow. Darren drew his card. "Time to take one of my new cards out for a test drive. I summon Neo the Mystic Swordsman (A1700, D1000). Then I activate Polymerization. By fusing Neo and Breaker, I form a new monster with an ability that will leave _you_ extinct. I fusion summon Walker the Mystic Warrior (A2600, D2200). Like Breaker, he gets a counter when he's summoned. But this one doesn't increase Walker. However I can remove it to weaken your monster by 1000 attack points". Walker looked like Neo in Breaker's armor without the helmet and the armor was dark blue. He held a sword with a blue aura in one hand and a shield in the other. The aura turned red and Walker fired a beam of light into the Spiner.

"Big deal, my monster still has 600 more attack points than your weak little swordsman", Rex insulted Darren's monster. Darren grinned.

"You seem to have forgotten my Pitch-Black Power Stone. This card creates three tokens that I can place on any monster. So I'll move all three tokens to Walker". Walker's aura turned red again and the stone cracked an shattered. Now Walker, launch your tokens at the Ancient Spiner". Walker fired another bolt at the opposing monster, dropping its attack by 3000. "Now Walker, attack his monster". The knight fired a ray of blue energy through Ancient Spiner, destroying it. "I end my turn", Darren announced.

Darren- 3000LP

Rex- 5300LP

Rex drew his next card, giving him one in his hand. "I set Sabersaurus (A1900, D500) in defense mode. I end my turn", he said dreadfully.

Darren drew his next card. "I set one card face down and then I attack your monster with Walker", Walker blew another hole in Rex's monster. "I end my turn".

Rex drew another card. "I summon another Black Stego in defense mode and that ends my turn". The stegosaurus came into play.

Darren drew his card and smiled. "This is it Rex. It's time to end this game. I set one card face down. Then I send Walker to attack your monster". Walker cast another wave of blue energy into Rex's monster. "Then I reveal my race down De-Fusion magic card. This will Walker apart and back into the two monsters that made him". Breaker and Neo took the field. "Now attack his life points directly my monsters". Both swordsmen swung their swords and blasted waved of energy into Rex. "And now I activate my Dark Renewal. I sacrifice Breaker to special summon my Dark Magician (A2500, D2100)". Rex's jaw dropped. "Dark Magician, attack his life points and finish him off". The magician attacked and blasted away the rest of Rex's points.

"Dammit. How could I lose to someone like you. It's just like Duelist Kingdom all over again. And Battle City. And the KC Grand Prix. You're just like that no talent Joey Wheeler. He became a famous duelist because of luck. And that's the only reason you won. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky". Rex reached into his graveyard and pulled out a card and threw it at Darren's feet and stormed out. Darren picked up the card.

_'Alright, my Ancient Spiner. I guess it was a good thing I didn't give up'._ Darren thought.

_'I'm proud of you Darren. You really did good in that duel', _Arcturas congratulated. Darren grinned stupidly.

'_Celebrate while you can keeper of the book! You won't be able to win forever!_' echoed an unforgettable voice though Darren's head.

_'Who are you?'_ Arcturas asked.

_'I am the one who knows of everything that ever happened to the Shadow Powers. I am the only person to read the scriptures of the darkness. If you want a name, call me Cairo_'.

_'Where are you?' _Arcturas asked. There came no answer. '_Coward'_.

Darren put the Ancient Spiner in his deck box and walked over to one of the walls. He flopped down in a chair and began to shuffle his deck.

Andy drew six cards from the top of his deck. He looked across the special arena at his opponent. There was a crowd of onlookers in the domed arena. His opponent had short, spiky black hair with a white band tied around his head. He wore a gray robe-like T-shirt and a pair of long gray pants. There was a pair of those Japanese sandals that are wood with straps. The necklace glimmered and Andy seemed to be a different person all together. "I'll star things off with my Scarr, Scout of Dark World (A500, D500) in attack mode. Then I set one card face down and end my turn". Andy's strange red beast flew from a dark vortex.

"Andy has started off light with a small monster. Let's see how his opponent Brett will respond", said an announcer.

Brett pulled six cards of his own. "I summon Sasuke Samurai #2 (A500, D500) in attack mode". His monster was a ball with tiny limbs and a ponytail. It pulled out a long samurai sword. "Then I equip him with the Legendary Sword, powering him up to 300. Next I'll set a card face down. Now, I activate his special ability. I sacrifice 800 life points to stop you from being allowed to activate any magic or trap cards until your next turn. So Susuke, attack his monster". The ball monster jumped in front of Scarr and slashed the monster in half. "I end my turn".

Andy- 4700LP

Sakuru- 4200LP

Andy whipped the next card into his hand. "I play my Archfiend Soldier (A1900, D1000) in attack mode. Now attack his monster with Vile Crusher". The demon formed a green gaseous aura around its right hand. It ran over to the little monster and scratched through it. "I end my turn".

Andy- 4700

Sakuru- 3100

Sakuru looked completely unfazed by losing so many life points. "My monsters may look weak with there small bodies. But like the ninja, they use their weapons right, and can attack multiple times in a time limit where most others would only be able to attack once. This is true especially for my Mataza the Zapper (A1300, D1800)". The monster was a man in a ninja costume.

"He's just another weak monster my Archfiend will strike down", Andy said without amusement.

"We'll see. I equip him with the Wicked Breaking Flamberge Baou. But to do this, I must discard my Two Pronged Attack. Then I play my Black Pendant, pumping him up another 500 points. Then I'll protect all of my other monsters by equipping him with the Metalsilver Armor. Now reveal face down trap card, Blast with Chain. This will now act as an equip card, giving Mataza 500 more points. Now Mataza, attack with Double Strike". Mataza disappeared and reappeared in front of the Archfiend and slashed him, then slashed Andy. "My Mataza has the ability to attack twice in one turn. Now go".

Andy- 1000LP

Sakuru- 3100LP

Andy rubbed his eyes to get the dust particles out of them. "I'll take my turn by simply sitting a monster face down in defense mode and playing the magic card Dark Door. This will keep your attacks to one per turn".

Sakuru felt stupid have fallen into such a lock. "Well I can't play this card yet, so I'll attack your monster and call it a turn". Mataza cut through the upside down card.

"Don't feel bad about falling into my trap. No one has ever been able to prevent it. I remove all three monsters from my graveyard to special summon my Dark Necrofear (A2200, D2800) in attack mode. I end my turn". The blue woman rose from the ground with a purple aura surrounding her body.

Sakuru drew his card and looked at the Dark Necrofear. "You fool, you left your monster in attack mode. Mataza, attack his monster". Mataza disappeared again and swung his sword through the Dark Necrofear. "I end my turn".

Andy- 400LP

Sakuru- 3100LP

Andy grinned as a purple aura surrounded Mataza, pulling the ninja to his side of the field. "Thanks to my Dark Necrofear, I get to take your monster to my side of the field. Here is where you lose. I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards. Since Dark Necrofear was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can activate my field magic card, Dark Sanctuary". A red cloud filled the arena. Millions of eyes formed in the mist and a white spirit started flying around Andy. "Next I play Return From a Different Dimension. I pay half of my life points to bring all monsters that I've removed from play to my field for one turn. Next I sacrifice all three monsters to summon my Great God Diabound (A3900, D0)". The gargantuan snake-legged monster flashed into existence from the Dark Sanctuary. "Now Diabound, attack his life points directly". Diabound punched Sakuru and the boy fell to the ground. The holograms faded away.

"And the winner is Andy Jones", the announcer shouted. The crowd went crazy with applause. And walked out of the coliseum and into a back room set up for duelists to work on their decks. He held out his hand, revealing the red dust. The necklace glowed and he dropped a blue ball from his other hand onto the dust. The dust glowed for a second then stopped.

_'It must need more souls to rebuild itself. And it's a long tournament_', he thought.

**Yes, Andy's duel was considerably shorter. But come on, once that Diabound hits the field you already know who the winner is. **


	12. Insect Insight

**And we're opening with the theme song.**

Darren finished shuffling his deck. He scouted the large room for the man from the plane. There was no trace of him, but Darren did notice a lot of duels ending. Monsters were fading and people were leaving the building. Darren looked disappointed.

_'This sucks, I leave today. I wanted to stay here in LA. I don't want to wake up from this dream_', he thought. He flipped through his deck. He came across Breaker and Neo. _'You guys really came through for me_'.

_'It's important to form bonds with your monsters. That was the first thing King Atem taught me'_, Arcturas told him. Darren held his deck face down and stared at the back of the top card.

_'I don't get something Arcturas'_, Darren thought to his counterpart.

'Wh_at is that Darren?' _the spirit responded.

_'Well, last night when you and Andy were dueling the Paradox brothers, Andy seemed different. And he had a necklace like the Millenium Medallion. Did you know what was going on'_.

There was a sigh from inside Darren's head. _'Yes, it did resemble the Millenium Medallion. It's because it was also a Millenium Item. The Millenium Ring is one of the eight Millenium Items used by the Pharaoh and his guardians. We are the last line of defense for the Pharaoh. Before us are the Emblem Knights, and before them are the royal knights. Just try not to think about it'_, Arcturas told his host.

Darren looked confused. _'But, he seemed different. Kinda like he was possessed like when you take over. Does the Millenium Ring have a spirit inside of it, too_'.

_'To my knowledge it doesn't. If it did, I didn't sense the same owner as when I was sealed in the medallion. Please Darren, I don't know too much about this. And I don't think this is any of your business'_,

_'Well what about that monster he played. The Great God Diabound, it reminded me of Thanatos for some reason.', _Darren continued.

_'DARREN! This conversation is over. I don't know the answers and if I did, I wouldn't tell you because this isn't the business of a child. Now please just ignore what happens relating to the Shadow Realm. I'll deal with that place_'. Darren ripped the Millenium Medallion from around his neck and was about to through it, but lowered his arm. He slipped the Medallion into his pocket. He reached into his deck box and pulled out a card and looked deeply at it.

_'I'll show him. I can manage just fine. The next time a creep attacks me with the Shadow Realm, I'll be the one dueling. And with Thanatos in my deck, I can't lose',_ he thought. He pulled three other cards from his deck box. These weren't in the black and red cases that were on his deck. One was in a rainbow case, the other in a clear case, and the last in a case with a picture of a dinosaur on it. _'Well at least my collection of rare cards is growing'_. He put the cards back into the deck box. He sat back down in his chair.

_/Flashback/_

_"Keeper of the book, Master Cairo has ordered us to relieve you of the mystical book. But due to failures in the past, you will have to duel both of us at once", the men said in unison._

_"No he won't", said an evil voice beside Darren. He turned to see Andy standing next him with a duel disk strapped to his arm. Something was different about him. There was a ghostly look in his malicious smile. There was also a golden necklace with five needles dangling around his neck. "I will duel along side him". _

Andy drew his card, giving him one. "Ah perfect. I sacrifice Dark Necrofear, Invader of Darkness, and Skull Knight to summon my beast of absolute destruction, The Great God Diabound (A3900, D0)". Andy's monster was a muscular beast with a black snake instead of legs. "Diabound, attack the Gate Guardian". The new monster punched a hole in the Gate Guardian, causing it to shatter. "I end my turn"

"Andy, where did you get that necklace?" he asked. Andy laughed and turned to walk the way he was initially headed.

_"Like I said before Darren, maybe we'll meet again someday". He walked off into the dark and disappeared. The Millenium Medallion shimmered and Darren once again to control of his body. _

_/End Flashback/_

'_What was going on with that guy. He seemed so cool in the club. But when we started dueling, he was someone completely different. Like Andy was gone and some evil apparition had taken over his body_', Darren pondered. Something moved into his light and loomed a shadow over him. He looked up. The familiar man with blue hair from the card shop was standing over him.

"Yeah Weevil, that's him. Take him out good", Rex said from behind the man. Darren stood up and loaded his deck into his duel disk.

"What can I help you with Weevil?" he asked with annoyance. The creepy man grinned behind his huge glasses.

"Well you can start by getting ready for a duel. While you were sitting there daydreaming, the next round of the tournament started". Darren looked up to the monitor and right at the top was his name and picture next to Weevil Underwood and his picture.

"Oh, I'm sorry to keep you waiting", Darren said with false politeness. Weevil curled his upped lip.

"You won't be such a smart ass when my bugs are done crawling all over you. You'll fall before the power of my mighty bugs", Weevil said in his irritating voice. When he spoke, his voice gave Darren goose bumps.

"We'll see about that. I'll go first bug boy", he said. He moved to draw a sixth card.

"I think not. Age before beauty", Weevil interrupted. Darren raised one of his eyebrows. "Now then, I'll begin this one with my Howling Insect (A1200, D1300) in attack mode. Next I toss two cards face down and equip my howler with Laser Cannon Armor, giving him a 300 attack point power bonus. I end my turn". Darren drew his sixth card. "Wait, at the beginning of your turn I activate my Gravity Bind trap card. This will keep all of your level four or high monsters from attacking". Darren moaned.

'_So it's an insect control deck. How lame. Well whatever, at least I'll get my Queen Widow by the end of this_', Darren concluded. He looked down at his hand. _'Only one monster. I guess I'll have to make due_'.

"I'll summon my first monster, the Rapid-Fire Magician (A1600, D1200) in attack mode". A green laser grid scanned down the magician wielding two staffs and pinned it to the ground.

"Your monster's level is too high so he can't attack", Weevil reminded. Darren grinned.

"He'll be just fine. I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon. This destroys one magic or trap card on the field. So say goodbye to your Gravity Bind. Rapid-Fire Magician, attack his Howling Insect with Magic Bombardment". The magician raised the staff in its left hand and the orbs floating around it fell onto the small bug. "I end my turn by throwing a card face down".

Weevil- 7900LP

Darren- 8000LP

Weevil snickered in a nerdy way. "You must not have known about my Howling Insect's special ability. When it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard as a result of battle, I'm allowed to special summon on wind monster with less than 1500 attack points. So I summon my Ultimate Insect Lv 1 (A0, D0)". A disgusting red and blue larva took the place of the first bug.

Darren looked shocked at the monster. "That's a monster. It doesn't have any attack points. My Rapid-Fire Magician will tear through it like air", he protested. Weevil just continued smiling.

"My monster may be weaker than yours in attack. But that magician can't compare to the power my insect will be able to unleash". The insect duelist drew a card. "Now for my standby phase. My insect grows up to Lv 3 (A1400, D900)". The insect grew into a less gagging form.

"So what, my mage is still too powerful for your pathetic little bug".

"Do you really think so? Look again". Darren looked at the monster on his field and saw that it's attack power was dropping. "My insect's ability weakens all of your monsters by 300 points. Now who was the stronger monster. Ultimate insect, attack his monster". The insect charged forward and head butted the spellcaster. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 7900LP

Darren- 7900LP

Darren pulled the card on the top of his deck into his hand. "I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000) in attack mode. Then I set one card face down and attack your insect". La Jinn hurled a ball of magic at the bug, blowing it to pieces. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 7800LP

Darren- 7900LP

Weevil looked unhappy at his loss. "I summon Insect Knight (A1900, D1500) in attack mode". A bug with a long sword and a shield formed from data particles. "Then I reveal my face down trap card, DNA Surgery. This lets me make every monster on the field one type, and I choose insects". La Jinn sprouted extra bug-like limbs. "Now my Insect Knight, attack with Buzzing Blade". The bug spread a pair of wings and flew at La Jinn, cutting through the genie. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 7800LP

Darren- 7800LP

Darren drew a card and placed it in his hand. "I summon my Skilled Dark Magician (A1900, D1700) in attack mode. His attack equals your bug's so he can't be destroyed without blowing away your own monster. I end my turn".

Weevil drew his next card and began giggling again. "I set one card face down. Now, go Gokipon (A800, D800) in attack mode". A small red ant with wings and big eyes crawled out of a digital ant hole. "Now for my trick. I activate Eradicating Aerosol, destroying my Gokipon". A can of bug spray appeared and sprayed the ant, poisoning it to death. Darren had a puzzled look on his face. "Now I get to move one insect with less than 1500 attack points from my deck to my hand". He ejected his deck from the slot and began searching through it. When he found a card, he placed it into his hand. "I end my turn".

Darren drew his card and pointed to the Skilled Dark Magician. "Because you activated that magic card last turn, my Dark Magician gets a counter". A black orb floated around behind the magician. Weevil looked at it wide eyed.

"What does that counter do?" he asked.

"It's not important right now. It's not like I can use it anyway. Now, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000) in attack mode". The swordsman in red armor appeared in a cyclone of magic dust. "He also gets a counter, increasing his attack points to 1900. I end my turn".

Weevil's huge smile didn't get any smaller when he drew his card. "I summon my second Ultimate Insect Lv 1. Then I play my Insect Barrier magic card". A net of golden energy formed in front of Weevil. "You see, as long as this card is on the field, all insects on your field can't attack. And with my DNA Surgery making all of your monsters bugs, that means you can't attack at all". Another black orb rose up behind the Skilled Dark Magician. "I end my turn".

Darren drew his next card. "I activate Breaker's special ability. I sacrifice the counter on him to destroy one of your magic or trap cards. So I blow away your DNA Surgery". Breaker fired a ray of red magic at the card, burning it up. "Then I sacrifice my monster to summon the Dark Magician Girl (A2000, D1800) in attack mode". A cute girl with long blonde hair and blue armor that resembled the dark magician's, only a little more revealing, flew from the projectors and twirled a small staff like a baton. She landed softly on the ground and flinched at the sight of Weevil. "Dark Magician Girl, destroy the Ultimate Insect with Dark Burning Attack". The girl raised her staff and blasted pink energy at the small maggot. The golden net wrapped itself around the attack. "Hey, what's going on".

"Hehehehehehe, I reveal my face down card, my second DNA Surgery. Now all your monsters are stopped from attacking again", Weevil said as the Dark Magician Girl landed back on the ground and heaved her staff over her shoulder.

"I end my turn Weevil".

The creepy insect duelist drew his next card. "During my standby phase, my Ultimate Insect grows into Lv 3 again. Then I summon the Pinch Hopper (A1000, D1200) in attack mode. And don't forget my Ultimate Insect weakens your monsters by 300". Darren's monster shrank slightly as their attack points dropped. "Insect Knight, attack his Dark Magician Girl". The bug flew at the girl and brought his sword through her armor. Darren shielded his eyes as the monster exploded in front of him. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 7800LP

Darren- 7600LP

Darren drew his next card and looked out at the monsters opposing him. _'Maybe I should let Arcturas help me. This guys seems to good for me. No, if I'm gonna win this tournament, I have to be able to win on my own. Besides, I don't know if I want to talk to him yet. All I can do is make a wall and protect my life points for now. As soon as I get three monsters on the field, this game is over. _

"I summon Neo the Mystic Swordsman (A1700, D1000) in defense mode. Then I switch my Skilled Dark Magician to defense mode as well. Then I'll finish with one card face down". Neo rose up in a kneeling position.

Weevil drew his next card. "Now things are going to get interesting. First my standby phase ushers in a new monster as my Ultimate insect evolves to Lv 5 (A2300, D900). His special ability decreases your attack by 500 points. Next I sacrifice my Insect Knight and Pinch Hopper to summon the Queen Widow (A2700, 2000). Her effect also kicks in. Once per turn, I can remove up to three monsters from play. She then receives a 300 point power bonus for each insect removed. Now she is at 3600. And of course my Pinch Hopper has a special effect, too. When he's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon one insect from my hand, namely my Atomic Firefly. And for my final card of the turn, my Forest field card, again strengthening my monsters by 200". The floor was covered by trees and grass. "Ultimate Insect, attack Neo". The bug lifted itself into the air and flew over toward Darren's monster.

"Go trap card, Negate Attack". A vortex stopped the bug from breaking through to the swordsman.

Weevil balled his hand up into a fist. "I end my turn", he said.

Darren closed his eyes and pulled the next card from the top of his deck. "Okay, I reveal my face down trap card, Call of the Haunted. This will bring back my Breaker. Then I use my Pot of Greed magic card, letting me draw two cards. Now go Polymerization, fuse my magic warriors together to summon Walker the Mystic Warrior (A2600, D2200) in attack mode. Then I activate my final face down card, Pitch-Black Power Stone. This puts three counters into play". The golden triangle shown brightly on the black ball.

"Weevil watch out, that's the same thing he did against me", Rex called out. Weevil shrugged him off.

"Now Walker, use your counter to weaken his Ultimate Insect by using your counter". Walker blasted a red aura through the giant bug. Weevil cried out in horror as his bug lost 1000 attack points. "Next I use the other three tokens to weaken your Ultimate Insect once and the Queen Widow twice". Walked fired off three more shots. Tears were streaming down Weevil's face. "However, since I can't attack this turn, I end with one card face down".

Weevil didn't look nearly as pissed off as Darren thought he would be. "I again transform my Ultimate Insect to Lv 7 (A2600, D1200). The beautiful creature weakens your monsters by 700 points. Next I'll remove three more insect monsters, boosting my Queen Widow up to 2700". The woman with long black hair and white skin, wearing a dress with a red hourglass on it nearly doubled in size. Now my widow, attack that warrior". The beautiful lady ran through the forest and made an attempt to bite Walker.

"Activate De-fusion. This now gives you two monsters to target", Darren explained. Weevil sneered.

"Widow, attack Breaker". The woman sank a pair of long fangs into Breaker. The monster turned purple and exploded into data bits. "Now my Ultimate Insect, you attack Neo". The other giant bug bit down on Neo and he to exploded away. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 7800LP

Darren- 4000LP

Darren placed two fingers on the top of his deck. "This is it. If I don't draw something to save me, I'm out of the tournament". He slowly slipped the card off the deck and looked at it. "I play my Card of Sanctity. This allows both of us to draw until we have six cards in our hands". Both duelists drew five cards. "Now then, this is more like it. In case you didn't notice, there are three counters on my Skilled Dark Magician. This means I can sacrifice him to special summon Dark Magician (A2500, D2100) from my deck". The Dark Magician erupted from the ground of the forest. "Then I use my Dark Magic Attack card to destroy every magic and trap card on your side of the field. Next I sacrifice him to special summon Dark Eradicator Warlock (A2500, D2100). His special ability unlocks whenever someone activates a magic card; he makes you take 1000 points of damage".

"No, my perfect defense. How could you break through that unstoppable wall. Not like it matters. My monsters are still too strong for your weakened wizard", Weevil cried out.

Darren grinned as he pulled a card out of his hand. "I use Re-Fusion to special summon a fusion monster from my graveyard to my field. And since my only one is Walker, it looks like he comes back for another round. And don't forget his counter. Next for my summon for the turn, Blast Magician (A1400, D1700). And my Re-Fusion deals 1000 point of damage to you. Walker, remove 1000 points from Ultimate Insect. Now Warlock, blast it away with Dark Magic Explosion". The heavily robed magician formed an enormous ball of purple magic and destroyed the bug and itself in the explosion. "Now Walker, attack the Widow". Walker swung his sword and a blue wave of energy cut through the woman.

"No stop. My precious insects. Stop right now. I command you to stop destroying my bugs", Weevil shouted with tears running down his face.

"Not until they're all gone. Blast Magician, attack the Atomic Firefly with Blast Force. Now that your field is completely empty, I end my turn by playing one card face down.

Weevil- 6300LP

Darren- 3000LP

Weevil wiped the tears from his face and drew his next card. "I summon my third Ultimate Insect Lv 3 in defense mode and lay one card face down. Then I'll take 1000 points of damage by activating another Insect Barrier. I end my turn".

Weevil- 5300LP

Darren- 3000LP

Darren drew his next card. "I think it's time to star winning this game. Blast Magician, attack the Ultimate Insect". The magician raised its staff and a jet of fire flew at the insect, but a wall made entirely of light rose in front of it.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but my Wall of Revealing Light lets me stop your attacks. All I have to do is offer life points equal to the limit I choose and only if it is a multiple of 1000. I'd say 3000 is enough to hold you off", Weevil said more confidently.

Darren pressed a button on his duel disk. "My Dust Tornado says otherwise. I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field. So Blast Magician, destroy the bug. And now Walker, finish the job". Walker pointed a finger at Weevil and fired a beam of blue energy at him and taking out the rest of his life points. "Now hand over the Queen Widow", Darren demanded. Weevil clenched his teeth so hard that one of his front ones cracked.

"I hate you! Here, take the card. But don't think this is over. I swear on my life we'll get you back for this". He and Rex turned to the exit and ran out at full speed. Darren sighed and put the Queen Widow and the last card in his hand into his deck box. He stumbled on his way back to the chairs. He shuffled his deck and put it back into his duel disk.

_'Arcturas was right, this would put a lot of pressure on me. But at least I made it to the next round. Tomorrow, no more playing around. I have to start each game as if it were the final round. Or if were another game against Sicily. And I can't use Thanatos'_. He looked down at the bulge in his pocket from the Millenium Medallion.

At another part of the room, the man from the plane was standing in a clearing of people. His eyes were closed and the duel disk on his arm was in the standby position. He held his right hand over the rings on his left and a blue light fell into them. _'Another soul to add to my collection. And soon, the keeper of the book will join the ones I already have. But I must be patient. I will obtain the book. All in due time'_. The eye tattoo on his forehead blinked and he opened his eyes with shock. _'It's impossible. I sense Para taking another soul. But how can this be? I felt him lose to the boy and yet, he has claimed two souls since then. When I have the chance, I'll have to look into this as well.'_

Andy was standing back in the preparation room by himself. His deck sprawled out before him. The Great God Diabound was in the very front. The necklace glowed and the cards flew around him and landed in one straight pile on the table he was at. _'Apparently, two souls still isn't enough. How many will it take before this wretched thing reforms. I must find out what connection to the Shadow Realm it has'._

"Mr. Jones, we will be leaving for Ottawa in Canada shortly. I advise you to get ready for the flight", an attendant to the tournament said.

"Oh thank you", Andy replied innocently. When the attendant left, Andy looked at the red dust that looked as though it was already connecting in some places. _'How much longer must I wait?'_

**So Darren has gotten rid of Rex and Weevil. I know the duel was slow and then ended quickly with a dumb Card of Sanctity turn, but I couldn't think of a single card that would have pulled Darren out of that. And that's right, I'm sending Andy to Canada. Mwahahahaha!**


	13. Trial By RedEyes

Stronger than Death 

Darren stretched his arms over his head and yawned. _'Man, I'm exhausted. I should have gotten more sleep last night. Well I have until tomorrow before I have to duel. I'm gonna get to my hotel room and get some sleep'_. Darren yawned again. He stood up and left the building and walked across the street back to the hotel and rode the elevator back up to his room and grabbed his book bag. He left his key and made it all the way back to the tournament building and sat down. He opened his backpack and pulled a smaller binder out. Then he took the cards out of his deck box. He put Toon World, Hino-Kagu, Ancient Spiner, and Queen Widow in the first page.

"Duelists, we have finished the second round of the tournament. If everyone would please observe the monitor to find out which city you are going to. There is also a bus to take everyone who failed to win to the airport and then back home", the LA announcer said. Darren looked up at the screen and noticed that there were a lot less names than there were in New York. He looked at Tokyo and found his name. He also found the name Cairo. The duelist was going to Ottawa, Canada.

_'Nice. I'll be far away from him',_ Darren thought. He put his stuff back into his backpack and got up and walked outside. He looked at the first bus and it said Tokyo. He go on and sat down in the seat in the far back. A few other duelists also got on and then a man in a driver uniform.

"We here in Los Angeles have enjoyed your stay and hope that you did as well. Please return to our beautiful city as soon as you can", he said. He sat down, closed the door, and started up the engine. The buss pulled away from the building and cruised the city. Darren looked at the front of the bus and saw the kid using the Harpy deck in New York.

_'At least I'll have a familiar face to see in the tournament'._ The bus didn't take long to get to the airport. Darren sat in his chair as he waited for his plane to get ready to take off. _'Now it's my turn to read from the book'_, he thought. A shiver went down his spine and he looked across the long walkway and saw an unwanted person. The man from the plane was sitting in a chair staring at him.

_'Till we meet again'_, echoed throughout Darren's head. Darren clenched his teeth together and his hand slid down to the bulge in his pocket. The man stood up and walked through the doorway onto his plane. Darren stoop up as well and got in line for his plane. He showed the man standing at the desk his Magician of Black Chaos and walked through the hallway onto the plane. He sat down in the second to last seat in the row next to the door. He set his book bag down and pulled out the mysterious book. He read the first page again.

_'To whomever should receive the card that is required to read this book, I must advise you to read this in privacy unless accompanied by one of the remaining three Emblem Knights. It is important that you never let anyone else read what is in this book'._ Darren turned the page and saw a table of contents. He moved his finger down the page and read the sections. One in particular caught his attention.

_'The Millenium Ring, this is the thing that Andy was wearing. Let's see, one of the eight Millenium Items. Houses the soul of the Thief King Bakura. The needles hanging from the ring point toward nearby Millenium Items. The main powers of the ring are the calling of the Shadow Realm and the ability to steal souls and imprison them into inanimate objects. The spirit's most powerful monster is the Diabound Kernal, able of using the power of every monster it destroys_'. Darren didn't make it any further. He drifted off to sleep.

Darren was surrounded by darkness. Far in front of him was a dull light. He took off running toward the light. To his surprise, it wasn't nearly as far as he thought. Standing in the light was a familiar boy.

"Dad?" Darren asked. The boy turned around.

"Darren, why are you fighting with Arcturas?" Karl asked. He looked solemnly at his son.

"I just wanted to know about the Millenium Ring and he just got pissed off. He didn't want to tell me so I took off the Millenium Medallion", Darren answered. Karl nodded his head.

"Give it time. Eventually he'll need your help and you'll learn everything. But until then, be patient". Darren sighed. "Believe me, some things you're not ready to know".

"Okay. Those cards that you tried to give me the other day, why couldn't I get them?" Darren asked his father.

"I'm not sure. I was transferring them from my deck to yours, but a powerful and very old magic stopped it. The cards have entered your world, but I don't know where they are".

"Well what were they?"

"I have a feeling you'll run into them soon enough. You'll know it's them when you see them", he told Darren. Darren nodded with a look of determination in his eyes.

Darren woke up to a loud bell. He was still sitting on the plane. A light was shining in front of him. "Attention passengers, please fasten your seat belts as we are preparing to land", came over the intercom. Darren rubbed his eyes and yawned. He looked around and saw that most of the other duelists were doing the same. He looked down at his lap and saw the book still open on it. He quickly shut the book and stuffed it into his backpack.

"Fall asleep during reading?" asked someone in the row next to his. He looked over to see the boy with the Harpies. "Same here", he said, dropping a book into a duffel bag.

"Yeah, just tired from being out so late last night and the early morning today", Darren replied. The Harpy boy smiled as the duelists started to file out of the plane.

"Well if that messed you up, then it's going to be horrible for you here. We've gone through quite a few different time zones", he said.

Darren looked out the window and said, "Looks like night here to me". He and the boy stood up and walked to the door. The two of them ceased talking once they got off the plane. The bus ride to the hotel wasn't that long. But the bus came to a stop next to a road with more neon than Las Vegas. Covering the sky was a huge TV that stretched the length of the street. Darren's face was consumed by his eyes and a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon. Duelists lined the street with duel monsters floating around.

"This is the famous Tokyo Duel Strip. Every night, duelists come from all over to duel here. We're lucky enough to be on the next block over. So anyone who wants to duel tonight, you're free to go", the driver announced. The bus turned the corner and parked in front of the hotel. The bus unloaded and the Darren checked into his room. Once in his room, he opened his backpack to grab his duel disk and ran back to the elevator. Unlike he thought, he was the only one in it. He looked down at the bulge in his pocket. He reached down and pulled out the Millenium Medallion. He got off the elevator and ran outside the hotel and bolted around the corner. He stood and marveled at the lights. Monsters were appearing, attacking, and being destroyed left and right. He walked down the street, watching the duels around him.

_'Well this kinda sucks. Everyone is already in a duel. I hope I find someone. I'll feel really stupid if I go back to the hotel without having dueled'_, he thought.

_'Darren, I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier', _Arcturas apologized.

_'Don't worry about it'_, Darren thought to his counterpart. He looked across the street and was satisfied. A boy who was definitely older than him was standing on an upside down trashcan. He had bright blonde hair and golden eyes. He wore a white T-shirt with a blue stripe in the middle and blue jeans. There was a duel disk strapped to his left arm.  
"Come one, come all! Step right up to duel the incredible, the amazing Joey Wheeler", he cried into the night. Darren grinned and dashed across the street.

"I'll take that challenge", he shouted. Joey Wheeler looked down.

"Alright then. We have our first challenger", he said delightedly as he jumped from the trashcan. He had an accent that Darren recognized instantly. It was one from his city of New York. "I'll let you go first there new guy".

"Okay, thanks", Darren said with a smile. "You're an admirable duelist. I'm going to enjoy this game.

"Thanks, me too", Joey replied. He gave Darren a thumbs up and drew five cards from his deck. Darren drew six cards from his deck.

"I summon Mythical Beast Cerberus (A1400, D1400) in attack mode. Set down a face down card and end my turn", Darren said. His monster roared when it formed from data particles. It was a vicious blue and white dog with a long purple mane. A second head without a mane grew out near the right shoulder.

"Interesting card. By the way, what was your name again?' Joey asked.

"It's Darren Fantasy", Darren answered.

"Alright Darren, let's see how you like this. I activate my Hinotama magic card. This will knock 500 points out of ya". Fireballs rained down on Darren, lowering his life points. "Next I summon my Goblin Attack Force (A2300, D0). Now my monsters, attack his Mythical Beast". The Goblins dressed in bronze armor charged their way across the filed and pummeled the dog with their maces. "I end my turn".

Darren- 7600LP

Joey- 8000LP

"Hey wait, why'd you only lose 400 points?" Joey asked.

"Because you activated Hinotama. Whenever you activate a magic card, Cerberus received a counter that gave him 500 additional points", Darren explained. Joey nodded his head in understanding. "Now then, I summon Silent Swordsman Lv4 (A1000, D1000) in attack mode. Next I reveal my face down Pitch Black Power Stone. And because your goblins attacked, they go to defense mode. Now magician, attack his goblins". The kneeling monsters were blasted to pieces when the tiny blue-haired magician blasted them with his staff. "I end my turn".

"Okay, I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman (A1100, D1100) in attack mode". The samurai formed in the street and pulled his sword out. "Masaki, attack his magician with Razor's Edge". The samurai dashed across the field and swung its sword at the magician, but Darren's monster shielded with its staff.

"I guess I forgot to mention, whenever you draw a card my monster gets a counter that pumps him by 500 points", Darren explained. The magician blasted another bolt of magic into the samurai's armor, disintegrating Joey's monster.

"I end my turn", Joey said nervously.

Darren- 7600LP

Joey- 7600LP

Darren drew his next card. "I summon Apprentice Magician (A400, D800) in defense mode. Now when he comes into play, I can put a counter on any monster on my side of the field. And I want to give it to my Silent Magician". A young boy dressed in purple, wielding a green staff materialized. A golden orb formed at the top of his staff and engulfed the Silent Magician. "And for my Pitch Black Power Stone, I'll move one counter from it to my magician, increasing him by another 500 points". A corner of the golden triangle faded away. "Attack his life points directly". The magician formed a ball of light blue energy and blasted it at Joey. Dust kicked up around Joey, and wind rushed in every direction of the attack. The dust settled and Joey's mouth was wide open and he held his stomach. "I end my turn".

Darren- 7600LP

Joey- 5100LP

Joey slid out his next card. "I set my monster face down in defense mode. Then I play the field magic card, Fusion Gate. As long as dis card is the field, neitha of us need to play Polymerization to fuse our monsters togetha". The area around them darkened and a spiraling vortex formed above them. "That does it for me", he said.

Darren drew a new card. "I summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000)". The warrior clad in red took it's summoned position next to the Silent Magician. "This monster gets a counter to strengthen him by 300". Breaker's sword took on a red aura. "And I think it's getting to be time to end this. I move a counter to Silent Magician, giving him his maximum of five as well as 3500 points. Let's start damaging life points. Breaker, attack his face down monster".

"I sacrifice my Kuriboh Soul from my hand. When it goes to the graveyard, I can negate one of your attacks", Joey said smugly. He placed the card into his graveyard. _'Thanks Yug, you really saved my butt right there'_, he thought.

"That isn't going to save you. I'll attack with Silent Magician", Darren declared. The magician raised its staff and hurled another wave of blue energy at Joey's monster.

"Now I use my About Face trap card. I can now pick anything on your field for your monster to attack, even you. And that's exactly what I've decided. Go and attack with Silent Spell". The monster turned around and fired at Darren. Darren was knocked off his feet and onto his butt.

"That's a good move. Way to hit me as hard as possible. But on my next turn, I'll be able to summon a stronger monster", he announced. Joey drew his card, but the Silent Magician didn't become stronger.

Darren- 4100LP

Joey- 5100LP

"Alright, I sacrifice my face down monster to summon my Meteor Dragon (A1800, D2000). And thanks to my Fusion Gate, I can merge it with my Red-Eyes Black Dragon to create my Meteor Black Dragon (A3500, D2800). Now then, I activate my Stop Defense magic card. This is gonna force your Apprentice Magician out of defense mode". The little spellcaster reluctantly stood up and cowered before the awesome might of the black and purple dragon with lava flowing around its body. "Destroy his magician with Molten Fireball Assault", Joey shouted. The dragon blasted a wave of inferno into the little monster, leaveing a charred mark on the ground where it once stood. "I end my turn".

Darren- 1000LP

Joey- 5100LP

Darren placed his fingers on his deck. _Okay, we really need another card to go with my Silent Magician. Please be good_', he thought. He picked up the top card of his deck. "Dammit. Well let's just do what we can. I sacrifice my Silent Magician Lv4 for my Silent Magician Lv8 (A3500, D1000)". The new monster was far nobler than the one it replaced. Then I set one card face down. For my summon, I play Neo the Mystic Swordsman (A1700, D1000) in defense mode and switch Breaker as well. I end my turn".

Joey drew his next card. "Perfect. I equip my dragon with the magic card Dragon Nails, empowering him with metal claws and giving him a power boost to 4100. Now Meteor Black Dragon, attack his Silent Magician with Molten Fireball Assault". The lava flow worked its way to the Silent Magician.

"Wrong, I use my Negate Attack trap card. This absorbs your attack and ends your battle phase", Darren said as an invisible vortex sucked up all of the lava.

"I'll end my turn by playing Dian Keto the Cure Master', Joey said.

Darren- 1000LP

Joey- 6100LP

_'I should just quit. There's no way I can win. I can fuse Breaker and Neo and weaken his monster with Walker's ability, but I wouldn't do enough damage to win. And because his dragon has an equip card, it'll just come back on his turn as strong as ever_', Darren thought unhappily. He drew his next card. _"Oh wait, I remember buying this back in LA_'.

"Are you gonna take your turn?" Joey asked. Darren looked up at him, grinning away.

"Yeah, this game is over". Joey smirked. "I fuse Breaker and Neo to summon Walker the Mystic Warrior (A2600, D2200). Now here's how this card works. When he's summoned, he gets a counter that when removed, knocks 1000 attack points off a monster. But I have a magic card call Counter-Revolution. For one turn, for every counter removed from Walker, he gains an additional 1000 attack points". Walker fired a blue beam from his finger into the dragon.

"Big deal, even if you destroy him, his effect brings him back next turn with 4100 attack points", Joey reminded.

"No, he's not coming back. Did you forget about my Pitch Black Power Stone?"

"Huh?!" Joey said startled. The final corner of the stone and it shattered.

"Walker, fire another bolt into his dragon". Walked made another blue flash and the Meteor Black Dragon's attack dropped again. "And for the finishing touch, I play Book of Secret Arts on my Silent Magician, pumping him by 300 points. Now Walker, attack his Black Dragon". Walker swung his sword, sending an arced wave of red energy through Joey's monster. And now for the end, Silent Magician, attack with Silent Spell". The magician blasted Joey with a blue magic orb. The holograms faded away.

"Well, it looks like I've already got my first loss of the night", Joey said with a saddened, yet friendly look on his face.

"You're a good duelist Joey", Darren said as he walked toward his opponent. "I wanna know why you're not in the Kingda Ka tournament".

"Because he's nowhere near tournament level", said a cold voice behind the two duelists. Darren saw the man with dark brown hair and a mean face. He was wearing a long white overcoat over top of dark clothes.

"Kaiba?!", Joey shouted. "What are you doing around here rich boy?" he asked. Anger was rising quickly in his voice.

"I'm just here to see potential duelists for my next tournament. After all, we'll need some new blood", Kaiba said smugly. He grinned and his unkind eyes zeroed in on Darren. "What's your name?"

"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, my name is Darrent Fantasy. I live in New York City. I'm here as part of the Kingda Ka tournament and I would really wish you accept me into your tournament", Darren spat out quickly.

"Well we'll see" he said and turned away.

"Wait Kaiba, ain't ya gonna ask me to enter your tournament It wouldn't be much fun without me. Or are ya just scared"? Joey antagonized.

Kaiba smirked. "Wheeler, you'd just be a waste of an entry. Besides, I just watched this kid beat you. If he ends up in it, what makes you think you could win?"

"That's it, you and me right now!" Joey shouted. Kaiba looked at him and chuckled slightly.

"Wheeler look at me", Kaiba held up his bare wrists. "Does it look like I can duel. I don't even have my duel disk".

"You can use mine Mr. Kaiba", Darren said. Kaiba held his hand out and accepted the duel disk. He looked Darren in the face and a look of shock washed over him.

_//Flashback//_

_Kaiba looked angry now. "Please, you're going to just quit. That guy just ran off with your girlfriend. If anybody did that to my girlfriend, I would hunt them down. You just need a stronger monster", he said. Yami's eyes grew wide._

_He turned to Kaiba and said, "Kaiba that's it. What is the strongest monster that you have? Think back to when Anubis took control of your mind. What monster did we use to stop him?"_

"_Of course. I activate my Pyramid of Light trap card. Next I summon all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons", Kaiba said. The same godly dragon that Mut had summoned was now flying in front of Kaiba, only there were three of them. "Next I play Polymerization to fuse them together and create the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (A4500, D3800). Now my Pyramid of Light will change my all powerful dragon into the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon (A3000, D2500)". The three dragons combined into one dragon with three heads. Then they transformed into a cross between the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Lugia from Pokemon. The Pyramid of Light was a giant golden pyramid and Polymerization was two monsters flowing into each other. "Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, use your Shining Nova to destroy the seal". The dragon started to glow and emit a pale blue aura and it exploded, firing a blast of blue electricity at the seal, but to no avail. Then the seal made a fourth copy of itself, which flew at the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. Both the monster and its card issued a glow that was the same shade of blue as the seal. Then they stopped._

"_Look Seto, your dragon looks different", Mai said in amazement. She grabbed his arm, but he was too preoccupied looking at his card. It looked pretty much the same. Except for now, the dragon had devilish horns sticking out of its head and its scales were an almost black shade of blue. Lastly, the title of the card read Blue-Eyes Darkness Dragon (A6500, D5700). "Whoa honey! Were did that godly card come from?"_

"_I don't know. It was just there for some reason. Well this is more powerful than my Shining Dragon, maybe it can blast through the seal. Blue-Eyes Darkness Dragon, attack the seal with Negatron Blast", Kaiba ordered. The new monster had trouble keeping such an attack in its mouth long enough to charge it up completely. If fired the blast of black electricity at the seal. The seal did not budge for a few seconds, but it eventually gave way. The blast continued for Karl. He closed his eyes and braced for impact._

_When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and saw the golden wings of Ra in front of him. The attack shrunk until there was nothing left. The winged Dragon of Ra laid down next to Karl. "It's great to see you again my friend._

_//End Flashback//_

"Um, what is it Mr. Kaiba", Darren asked. Kaiba shook his head.

"Nothing. I was just remembering something", he said. He massaged his eyelids with his fingers. He pulled a deck from inside his overcoat. "I'll begin this one Low Rate", Kaiba said. "I'll set one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn". A single brown card rose from the ground.

"Some opening move", Joey said sarcastically. He drew six cards. "I summon my Tiger Axe (A1300, D1100) in attack mode with one card face down. Tiger Axe, attack his monster with Beast Razor", he announced. The tiger dressed in clothes and holding a battle axe in its front paws charged at Kaiba and slammed the axe onto the back of the card.

"What a mediocre move", Kaiba remarked. His projectors made data particles and took the form of a white jar with a single eye covered by a green glass. The glass opened and Joey's monster was sucked in.

"No my Tiger Axe. What'd you do Kaiba?" Joey demanded.

"I didn't do anything. You attacked my Cyber Jar. You're to blame for the loss of your monster". But now we both pick up five cards from the top of our decks and summon every level four or lower monster", Kaiba drew his five cards at once. "I summon Z Metal Track (A1500, D1300)". The yellow tank materialized.

"I play Kojikocy (A1500, D1200) and my Time Wizard (A500, D400) in defense mode and a card face down. That'll do it for dis turn", Joey said. Kaiba drew his next card and stared intently at his hand.

"I'll start by summoning Kaibaman (A200, D700) in attack mode". A hologram of Kaiba wearing clothes of a white dragon. "He's got a special effect. I can sacrifice him to special summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon (A3000, D2500)". The holographic Kaiba's particles quickly eroded away and he was replaced by a majestic white dragon with a tint of blue in its scales. The dragon roared at Joey and spread its wings. Darren stared up at the monster. Other duelists stopped paying attention to their games to see the dragon.

"Wow, so that's the legendary white dragon", Darren said in astonishment. A white glow was coming off the dragon.

"I'll continue by sacrificing my Cyber Jar and my Kaibaman from the graveyard to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon- Envoy of the End (A3000, D2500)". A new dragon with black scales took flight next to the white dragon and roared ferociously. "Next I combine my Z Metal Track with Y Dragon Head to special summon YZ- Tank Dragon (A2100, D2200). Chaos Dragon, attack with Dark Flames of the end". The dark dragon blasted a wave of fire into the brutish monster on Joey's side of the field. "Now I'll attack with my Tank Dragon". The machine blasted a yellow ray of energy at the little clock with arms and legs.

"Oh no! My monsters!" Joey cried.

"And Blue- Eyes White Dragon, attack his life points directly with White Lightning". The great dragon charged a ball of white electricity in its mouth. When it was ready, the dragon opened its mouth an the lightning surrounded Joey. "I'll end my turn by playing Different Dimension Capsule. This will let me search my deck for a card. I remove that card from play for two turns, then I place it in my hand". Kaiba slipped a card face down into his removed from play slot.

Kaiba- 5000LP

Joey- 2000LP

Joey bit his bottom lip. "If I don't draw something good, I'm gonna lose. Heart of the cards, guide me", he told himself. He drew his card. "All right! I activate my magic card, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. I can remove as many cards from my graveyard as I want. Then, I get to chose a card in your hand to go to the graveyard. So I'll remove all three of my monster from play. So that means I get to toss out three of your cards". Kaiba laid his five cards on his duel disk.

**Kaiba's hand: Polymerization, Kaiser Sea Horse, White Dragon Ritual, Ring of Defense, Blue-Eyes White Dragon**

_'Kaiba must be tryin' to get out his ultimate dragon. Well I'll put a stop to that'_, Joey thought. "I chose to remove your Blue-Eyes, your Polymerization, and your Ring of Defense. Next I activate my face down trap card, Return From the Different Dimension. For the cost of half my life points, I can special summon all of my monsters back for one turn. But that's all I'll need them for. I sacrifice them all to summon Gilford the Lightning (A2800, D1400)". The tall, broad knight in a red cloak, wielding a long sword crashed down from the sky in a bolt of lightning. "And because I sacrificed three monsters for him, every monster on your side of the field is destroyed. Kaiba watched in frustration as his monsters were lost in a bolt of lightning. "Now reveal face down card, Robbin' Goblin. Now when you lose life points, you lose a card in your hand. Gilford, attack his life points directly". The warrior directed a bolt of lightning from its sword at Kaiba. "And now you lose a card".

Kaiba- 2200LP

Joey- 1000LP

Kaiba discarded a card from his hand. "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse (A1700, D1650) in attack mode. Then I set one card face down. I end my turn". The four legged monster stood strong against the knight.

Joey drew a card. "Looks like you're gonna lose this time rich boy. I activate my Hinotama magic card to burn 500 life points out of ya", Joey declared. Fire rained down again, only this time on Kaiba. "Next I'll blast your monster with Gilford, ending my turn". Kaiba's monster took a hit from another bolt of lightning.

Kaiba- 600LP

Joey- 1000LP

Kaiba discarded his final card in his hand before he drew. "This is the turn I get my card from my Different Dimension Capsule. So now I'll set one card face down and end my turn".

Joey drew his next card and could barely contain his excitement. "This is the duel where I will finally beat you Kaiba. "I activate my field card Fusion Gate". The dark vortex appeared from Joey's duel disk. Next I sacrifice Gilford to summon my Meteor Dragon. And now I'll combine him in my Fusion Gate to summon my Meteor Black Dragon". The molten dragon rose from the vortex. "Attack him my dragon with Molten Fireball Assault". The lava flowed from the dragon's mouth and at Kaiba.

"Go, Negate Attack!" Kaiba shouted. The lava flowed into the vortex. "Thanks to this, my life points are safe.

"I end my turn", Joey said. _'What could happen? All of his best dragons are in the graveyard. He doesn't have a single monster that can stand up to my Black Dragon'_, he thought.

Kaiba drew his card. "I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon on your Robbin' Goblin to destroy it". A rough wind blew at the card, causing it to shatter. "Now I play my magic card, Dragon Mirror. This card lets me sacrifice fusion material monsters from my graveyard and fuse them together, as long as the fusion monster is a dragon".

"Huh!?" Joey questioned.

"Your Robbin' Goblin card sent another one of my dragon's to the graveyard. Now fuse together my dragons and bring forth my Blue- Eyes Ultimate Dragon (A4500, D3800)". A larger white dragon with three heads was born from the data particles. "Ultimate Dragon, attack with Neutron Blast", Kaiba shouted. The three heads opened their mouths and lightning flowed into one big ball before ripping through Joey's own dragon. Joey's life points hit zero and the holograms faded away. Kaiba picked up his cards. "You should learn to use your cards before you actually do use them", he said and walked away. The surrounding duelists went back to their games.

"I think you did good Joey", Darren said.

"Yeah well, I'll beat him someday". Joey said. He picked up his cards and put them back into his deck. "So what kind of duelists have you faced so far?"

On a nearby rooftop, two duelists looked down on the strip of duelists. "There he is Weevil", Rex Raptor pointed. Weevil followed Rex's finger to Darren.

"This time, we'll get him. There's no way he can defeat us at the same time", Weevil said, snickering.

"Uh oh, do you see who he's with?" Rex asked. Weevil looked again and his eyes narrowed as the rest of his face was consumed by a grin.

"Ah, it's Wheeler. If we beat them both, then we'll be taking out two birds with one stone. Come on Rex, let's get down there". The two of them walked toward the stair well.

In another part of the world, another duelist looked down at his hand. "The ring is finally finished". Andy looked down into his hand at the ruby red ring. "Millenium Ring tell me the secrets of this mystical object", he said. The Millenium ring started to glow and the needles spread out. The ring lit up for a second, but the light faded dissipated.

"You will never learn the mysteries o such a great magic", came a voice behind him. He turned around to see a man with long black hair and clothes that resembled the Shadow Realm.

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Andy asked. He noticed two identical rings on his fingers glowing.

"Because the ring is mine. Hand it over or wander the Shadow Realm for eternity", the man said.

"I'll take my chances in the Shadow Realm", Andy replied. The Millenium Ring's needle pointed outward and the evil cloud of darkness wrapped around them.

**So, the duel between Andy and Cairo. Who will win? Could it be Andy's fiend deck, or the deck Cairo uses. And what is to happen to Darren and Joey. Only time will tell.**


	14. Double Trouble Tag Team Duel

**Stronger Than Death**

"I'll take my chances in the Shadow Realm", Andy replied. The Millenium Ring's needle pointed outward and the evil cloud of darkness wrapped around them. Cairo's lips rolled back to reveal his teeth, which were clenched into a fearsome smile. The tattoo on his forehead lit up the dark air. "An interesting trick you have there. You'll need it to find your way around once I trap you here for eternity".

"We'll see", Cairo replied. He drew a hand of six cards. _'Nothing can save you from my powerful creatures', _rang throughout Andy's head.

"How did you do that?" Andy asked.

"If you win, I'll tell you. But don't get your hopes up, I'm unbeatable. Let me demonstrate my power. I activate my field spell card Altar of Sacrifice". An altar took form behind Cairo with a long red rug stretching from the table down to the ground and under Andy's feet. Two pillars of fire exploded behind Cairo. "This field card is an essential part of my deck. As long as it remains face up on the field, I don not need to play magic cards to ritual summon monsters. Instead, I only have to pay 100 life points for each star the monster has".

"A risky move. You don't want to just go about inflicting damage to yourself", Andy said with an intense stare on his face.

"I wouldn't worry about my life points so much if I were you. I'll start off easy for you. I set one card face down and sacrifice 400 life points for my Elemental Mistress Doriado (A1200, D1400) in attack mode". The woman in royal clothes and a tall, elliptical hat appeared on the field. Her eyes were closed and she had her hands folded in front of her. "This lovely lady can be treated as though she had that attributes of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth".

'_He must be planning something to do with the monsters ability. Why else would he play such a weak creature. I have enough power to take it out, but what are the chances of drawing both of my strongest monsters on my first turn_', Andy thought to himself.

'_I wouldn't call it luck. It's more of a disaster for you_', came the mental voice. Andy's eyes tore open. Cairo pulled another card from his hand and laid it down on the magic cards zone. "I'll invoke the magic of the Card Destruction card. This sends both of our hands to the graveyard. Then we both draw cards equal to the amount we had". Cairo through out his hand before drawing two new cards. Andy angrily pulled five cards from the deck. "I end my turn".

Cairo- 7600LP

Andy- 8000LP

"That trick you played with Card Destruction was an annoyance, but nothing I can't over come". Andy drew up a sixth card. "I summon Newdoria (A1200, D800) in attack mode". The cretin rose from the ground of the Shadow Realm. It was a grotesque, orange beast with a ring of spikes on its eyes. A wooden ax with an evil blade took form in his hands. "My Axe of Despair will increase his attack points by 1000 points. Now Newdoria, attack his mistress". Newdoria floated over to Doriado and hacked her in half with the ax. "I'll end my turn by setting one card face down".

Cairo- 6600LP

Andy- 8000LP

Cairo drew his next card. "Activate Reload! This card lets me shuffle my hand into my deck and then draw a new one". Cairo slipped his cards into the rest of the stack. Once he placed the deck back into the slot, he pulled two cards into his hand. "Perfect! I summon Zera the Mant (A2800, D2300)". An alligator-like monster that stood on two feet with a long pink cape roared in the shadows. "Even though it costs me 800 points, it was worth it. Zera, attack his monster". A crimson burst of fire flowed onto the orange demon, incinerating it. "That ends my turn.

Cairo- 5800LP

Andy- 7400LP

Andy drew his next card. "I'll merely set one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn", he said.

Cairo looked down at the little monster and shook his head. He drew his top card. '_I'll humor you and your little Cyber Jar_', came into Andy's mind.

"Stay out of my head!" Andy shouted.

"What are you going to do, make me? Zera, attack the face down Cyber Jar". Zera exhaled another breath of fire all over the face down card. In the flames, a white metal jar appeared and sucked Zera in before exploding.

"Now that it's gone, my Cyber Jar has us both pick up five cards and special summon every level four or lower monster from the draw. I summon Goblin King (A0, D0) and Giant Orc (A2200, D0), both in attack mode". Goblin King was a short green little fiend in a king's robes. He sat in a tall, dark throne. On his side was a fat gray troll dressed in only a loincloth. A wooden club rested in its wide hands. Gobling King's attack points rose to 1000.

"Oh, sadly I don't have a single four starred monster. But because I haven't summoned anything this turn, I'll pay 800 life points to summon Crab Turtle (A2550, D2500). I end my turn". The crab in a turtle's shell materialized and hissed at Andy's monsters.

Cairo- 5000LP

Andy- 7400LP

Andy grinned at his next card. "I activate my Tribute to the Doomed magic card. I send my Giant Germ to the graveyard in order to destroy your monster". Mummy wrappings embraced the Crab Turtle and pulled it into the shadows. "Now attack his life points directly". Andy pointed at Cairo and his monsters charged. Goblin King punched Cairo with his little fist and the orc clubbed him in the head. "I end my turn".

Cairo- 1800LP

Andy- 7400LP

Cairo drew his next card. _'There it is. This is what is going to turn this duel in my favor. Not that this kid ever had a chance. But to pull it off, I'm have to get of his face down card, and I think I know how',_ he thought. The tattoo on his forehead was glowing again as he looked at Andy's face down card.

"To start this turn, I activate my Commencement Dance ritual card. All this needs is four stars to summon my monster".

_'Why wold he play the actual magic card when he can simply play it with the Altar of Sacrifice? Wait, he must be getting nervous. He has less than a fourth of his life points left and doesn't want to lose any more. Well that's too bad', _Andy thought.

"I reveal my face down trap card, Magic Jammer. For the cost of one card in my hand, I can negate the activation of your magic card". Andy set a card in the graveyard slot and the ritual card shattered.

"You played right into my trap. Now that your Magic Jammer is gone, I can activate my Final Ritual of the Ancients. The monster summoned by this card needs eight stars. So I offer Skull Guardian and Garma Sword from my hand to summon Rashef the Dark Being (A2500, D1500)". A bunch of boulders shaved themselves into shapes and put themselves together. The result was a stone mage with three glowing orbs in front of him. One red, one gold, and the other blue. "Rashef, attack his Giant Orc". The mage blasted the red orb at the defending orc. "I end my turn".

Andy glared at the rock beast. "I set one card face down. Then I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your field card". The altar was pulled into a storm's whirlwind. The pillars of fire subsided. "I end my turn". Cairo drew his card. "Reveal face down card, Spirit Barrier". Cairo looked up at Andy. "While this card is on the field, I can't take any battle damage. The only catch is I have to have a monster on my field".

Cairo distorted his face into a smirk. "Too bad it wont help you. As a ritual master, I have to keep more than one of these cards in my deck. I play my second Altar of Sacrifice". The pillars of fire erupted behind him again and the altar rose from the darkness. "Now I sacrifice 400 life points to summon the Paladin of White Dragon (A1900, D1200)". This monster was a knight in gold and silver armor riding a small white dragon with a blue tint in its scales. "And here's the fun part. I sacrifice Hamburger Recipe from my hand to take control of one monster on your side of the field. And just so you know, Rashef is a fiend type monster". The Goblin King's attack rose to 1000 again. "Attack his life points directly". All three monsters attack Andy, bringing him to his knees. "I end my turn".

Cairo- 1400LP

Andy- 1700LP

_'I'm still winning this. I can beat this guy, I just need to get through that Rashef. That monster is the key'_, Andy thought tiredly. He drew his card for the turn. "I activate my Change of Heart magic card. Like your Rashef, this card takes one of your monsters for one turn, and I choose Rashef". Cairo watched as his great stone mage turned against him. "Next I send my Spirit Message A to the graveyard to take your Paladin. Now you have no monsters to protect you, no way to defend. Attack his life points directly". Cairo stood tall at the attacking monsters.

"Activate special ability of the Altar of Sacrifice!" The pillars of fire became green and wavered back and forth. Smoke was rising from the altar. "I must sacrifice the altar as well as five ritual magic cards from my deck. Then I can destroy every monster on the field. I sacrifice End of the World, Curse of the Masked Beast, Black Luster Ritual, Contract with the Abyss, and Incandescent Ordeal". The altar exploded and the green flames spread everywhere. When they died away, every monster on the field was gone.

"I end my turn", Andy declared. Cairo drew his card but didn't look at it.

"You should have just handed the ring over. You never stood a chance against me. You may know how to use the Shadow Realm, but I am the soul person to have ever read every hieroglyphic marking on every last pyramid. I know everything about the ancient secrets the Shadow Realm holds. And I understand that you are the soul of the Shadow Realm, Zorc, inhabiting the Millenium Ring. I suggest next time you duel someone you don't know, be safe…", Cairo said to aloud.

_'…and don't let them read your mind',_ was all Andy heard next. Andy's eyes widened in a nervous rage.

Cairo activated his face down card. "Go Monster Reborn. I summon back the only monster I actually played the ritual for, Rashef the Dark Being". Rashef's stone body reassembled on the field. "This is the end. Rashef, attack his life points directly". The blue orb flew into Andy, knocking him off his feet. His body was covered in a blue glow.

"You're just delaying the inevitable. I will discover the secret of that ring", he muttered. The blue glow faded and Andy looked normal. Cairo held his hand out and the red ring floated from Andy's body to him. The ring shattered back into dust and was assimilated into the rings on Cairo's fingers. He looked down at the body of Andy, to the Millenium Ring around his neck.

"I'll let you keep it for now", he said. The shadows flew back into Andy's golden necklace. Cairo turned and walked away from the duel site. Moments later, Andy sat back up.

"Oh, where am I?" he asked as he rubbed his head. He looked around, but the place didn't seem familiar. "Man I'm starving".

"There you are Mr. Jones", said a nerdy voice behind Andy. He looked back to see a man in a suit with very thick glasses. "Come, you're late for your next round in the Shiek Ra Tournament".

Andy stood up slowly. "Oh right, thanks. I must have fallen asleep out here". The two of them turned to walk inside the coliseum.

"Yeah well, I'll beat him someday". Joey said. He picked up his cards and put them back into his deck. "So what kind of duelists have you faced so far?"

Darren thought for a second. "Well, back in New York, I dueled a guy who used Toon monsters. And then there was this other guy with Spirit cards. They were pretty easy. But in Los Angeles, I had to duel two weirdoes. A dinosaur duelist and an insect duelist".

"Wait a second", Joey interrupted, "You don't mean Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood do you?"

Darren looked at Joey suspiciously. "Yeah, how did you know?" he asked hesitantly. Joey laughed for a second.

"Back when I first got into dueling I dueled those guys and mopped the floor with them both. They're some of the sorriest duelists I know", he said very loudly.

"Same here. Those two weren't that much of a challenge. I was surprised they made it as far as they did in the tournament", Darren said laughing.

"OH REALLY! So we're sorry are we!" shouted an annoying buzzing voice. Darren and Joey stopped laughing and looked at the speaker. Weevil was standing in front of them with a more than pissed off look on his face. Next to him was Rex with a matching look.

"Those are some pretty big words from two nobodies", Rex called.

"NOBODIES!" Joey shouted. "If I remember correctly, I've already beaten both of you". Darren held up his fist angrily.

"Yeah, me too". Both Weevil and Rex laughed.

"Foolish little boy. You beat our tournament decks. We only used those to give everyone else in the tournament a chance. We didn't know we would be facing a brat like you", Weevil explained. "But if you think you're so good, you'll be able to take out our real decks".

"Fine. I'll duel you guys. And to show how confident I am, if you win, you can have the card I won back. So who wants to go first?" Darren asked.

"Not so fast kid", Rex said. "We're both dueling you. If you're so good, then you can easily beat the two of us".

"Now just wait a second. Two on one's no fair. Let me duel as Darren's partner", Joey demanded. Rex looked uneasily at Weevil.

"Fine, Wheeler can be your partner", Weevil said with annoyance. The four of them activated their duel disks. "I think I'll begin. I summon my Insect Knight (A1900, D1500) in attack mode. Then I'll lay two cards face down and end my turn". A tall insect with a long sword in its hand appeared on the field and beat its wings fast enough to keep itself afloat.

Joey drew his card. "To start, I activate my Dian Keto the Cure Master. This card gives me a thousand extra life points". Light blue specs of light fell all over Joey and his life point meter rose. "I'll set two of my own cards face down and set a monster face down in defense mode.

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 8000LP

Joey- 9000LP

Darren- 8000LP

Rex drew his card and looked over at Weevil. "I set one card face down. Then I play my Meteor of Destruction on Wheeler". A huge orange ball of fire launched itself from the sky into Joey. "Next I summon Hyper Hammerhead (A1500, D1200). I end my turn". A dinosaur with prongs like a hammer sticking out the back of its head and the flat part on its nose materialized.

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 8000LP

Joey- 8000LP

Darren- 8000LP

Darren drew his opening hand. "I summon Mythical Beast Cerberus (A1400, D1400) in attack mode". The purple and blue dog monster leapt from the projectors. It's purple mane blew in the wind. "Then I'll play one card face down and end my turn".

Weevil drew his next card. "I activate the magic card Scapegoats. This will make four Sheep Tokens on my side of the field in defense mode. Then my Insect Knight will attack your mangy dog", Weevil announced. The bug flew over to Cerberus and raised its sword.

"Go trap card, Blast With Chain", Joey shouted. Before the knight brought down its sword, Cerebrus blasted the bug with a blaze of golden light. A red bomb tied itself to Cerberus with a chain.

"How is it that your monster wasn't destroyed?" Weevil asked. It was true, when the smoke cleared Cerberus was still on the field.

"Because I activated my Blast With Chain", Joey answered. "When Blast With Chain is activated, it is equipped to a monster and powers it up by 500 points. Then I remembered Cerberus's effect from our duel.

_//Flashback//_

_"Hey wait, why'd you only lose 400 points?" Joey asked._

"Because you activated Hinotama. Whenever you activate a magic card, Cerberus received a counter that gave him 500 additional points", Darren explained.

//End Flashback//

"Your Scapegoat card gave Cerberus an extra 500 points as well".

"Hey thanks Joey", Darren said. Joey smiled and gave Darren the thumbs up. The two of them looked across the field at their opponents.

"I end my turn", Weevil said.

Weevil- 7500LP

Rex- 8000LP

Joey- 8000LP

Darren- 8000LP

Joey pulled off his next card. "I summon Baby Dragon (A1200, D700)". Joey's dragon was small and orange with an innocent smile. "Attack with Tiny Embers", he shouted. The small dragon opened its mouth and a small fireball flew at one of Weevil's sheep. "I end my turn".

Rex drew his next card. "This duel isn't going to last long with our actual decks working together. I summon Gilasaurus (A1400, D400). But its effect lets me use that as a special summon. Now I play Cost Down. I sacrifice a card from my hand to lower the number of stars of one monster. So now I can sacrifice my Hyper Hammerhead to my Black Tyranno (A2600, D1800)". The monstrous black dinosaur reared its head and cried at Joey and Darren. "Gilasaurus, attack his dragon". The monster leapt up and took a bite from the smaller monster.

"Now my dragon", Joey cried. Rex grinned.

"Black Tyranno has a special ability. When you have no monsters in attack mode, he can attack your life points directly". Joey gasped. "Go, attack him". The monster charged straight at Joey.

"Protect him Cerberus", Darren shouted. Cerberus ran in front of Joey and took the bite before bursting into pieces.

"You protected me by sacrificing your own monster?" Joey asked. Darren looked over at his new friend.

"Of course, we're in this together", he said reassuringly. Joey grinned and nodded. Darren drew his top card. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician (A1900, D1700) in attack mode. Then I set another card face down. I end my turn by attacking Gilasaurus". The dark robed mage formed from data particles. It raised its staff and fired a ball of dark blue energy. Rex watch the ball get closer.

"Reveal face down trap card Magic Cylinder. This will send the attack back into your life points". A pink cylinder with rainbow designs all over it caught the attack. The cylinder turned around and the attack flew back into Darren.

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 7500LP

Joey- 8000LP

Darren- 5900LP

Weevil snickered and drew his card. "I summon Ultimate Insect Lv.1 (A0, D0) in defense mode. I end my turn".

Joey looked at the small monster before drawing. 'Why would bug boy play such a week monster. That monster can't don anything. Especially when his only other monsters are those Sheep Tokens. But then again, his moths are weak, too. But they grow into super-monsters.'

"I summon Wall of Illusion (A1000, D1850) in attack mode. Next I drop another card face down". A card showed up face down with a dark wall with a face. "Attack his Ultimate Insect". The wall blasted purple energy from its eyes at the bug.

"Not today. Black Tyranno, defend Weevil's bug", Rex ordered. The T-rex bit the wall before it could hit the bug. The wall fell apart and the dinosaur disappeared. "What happened to my dino?"

"It goes back to your hand. Whenever a monster attacks the Wall of Illusion, it goes back to its owner's hand. So when your monster destroyed mine to save Weevil, it triggered the wall's effect". Rex picked his card off the duel disk.

"I end my turn", Joey said.

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 8000LP

Joey- 5900LP

Darren- 5900LP

Rex drew his card and his face fell. "I activate my Soul Release magic card. This will remove up to five cards in the graveyard from play. I remove my Hyper Hammerhead, Meteor of Destruction, Cost Down, Magic Cylinder, and Gilasaurus. I end my turn".

Darren drew his card. "I activate my Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer magic card. This lets me move one Buster Bladder from my deck or graveyard from my hand". He flipped through his deck to find his card. Next I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (A1700, D1000)".

"I don't think so. Reveal face down card, Bottomless Trap Hole", Weevil cried. Neo fell into a hole that closed over top of him. "You used that card to beat both of us in the tournament. So I decided to stop you from using it. Now it's been removed from play".

Darren bit his lower lip. "I attack Rex's life points directly". The Skilled Dark Magician blasted another wave at Rex. Rex put his hands up as the blast washed over him. "I end my turn", he said.

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 6100LP

Joey- 5900LP

Darren- 5900LP

Weevil looked in disgust at his teammate. "I set one card face down. Now watch as my Ultimate Insect evolves to Lv.3 (A1400, D900)". Sure enough, the insect pulsated and grew into its next stage. "I end my turn".

Joey watched the insect grow with worry in his eyes. "I summon Little-Winguard (A1400, D1800). Attack Rex's life points directly". The small warrior with a cap on its head flew at Joey and slashed him with its tiny sword. "I end my turn"

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 5000LP

Joey- 5900LP

Darren- 5900LP

"Hey, how did you weaken my monster's attack points?" Joey asked.

"You're so simple Wheeler. My Ultimate Insect Lv.3 weakens every one my opponent's monsters by 300 points". Joey clenched his free hand into a fist.

Rex picked up a card. "I summon Black Ptera (A1000, D500). That'll do it for me", he said. His black pterosaurs settled down next to him.

Darren drew his card. 'I wish I could remember what that card did. I should play is safe and avoid that monster for now', he thought.

"I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000)". Breaker rose his sword and a red aura surrounded his blade. "Breaker, break one of Weevil's face down cards". The swordsman blasted the aura at Weevil's card. "Now Breaker, attack his Ultimate Insect". Breaker dragged his sword through the bug. "Next, Skilled Dark Magician attack one of Weevil's Scapegoats". A blue wave of energy incinerated a token. "I end my turn".

Weevil drew his card with frustration. "I summon my Cocoon of Evolution (A0, D2000) in defense mode". A pink chrysalis of silk wove itself into existence. "I end my turn".

Joey pulled up his card. 'Darn, nothing's strong enough to take out that Cocoon. But I know what Weevil's planning. He wants to get out his Great Moth. And Rex is no threat right now. The only card in his hand is that Black Tyranno, and it needs to sacrifices But Weevil has three monsters, so he's my threat', he thought.

"I summon Tornado Bird (A1100, D1000). Tornado Bird attack". The red bird flapped its wings hard enough to start a tornado that picked up one of the Sheep Tokens. "Now Little-Winguard, attack his final token". The small warrior stabbed the token, shattering it and the Scapegoat card. "I end my turn with one card face down".

Rex snickered as he drew his card. 'Our plan is working perfectly. It's only a matter of time before we pull out our ultimate monster. Weevil already has the cocoon on the field. I just need to draw my monster', he thought.

"I summon Black Stego (A1200, D2000)". A black Stegosaurus cried out once it took its position next to the Black Ptera. "Black Stego, attack his Tornado Bird with Dino Charge". The Stego charged as fast as it could at Joey and whipped its tail at the bird, crushing it with spikes. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 5000LP

Joey- 5800LP

Darren- 5900LP

Darren looked at the monsters against him. 'Why can't I remember any of Rex's monsters effects? And I don't even know what Weevil played. That cocoon must just be a wall. But Rex is gonna have that Black Tyranno out next turn unless I can stop his monsters'.

"I sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician and Breaker the Magical Swordsman for my Dark Magician (A2500, D2100) in attack mode". The two monsters turned into blue balls of fire. The balls of fire took the shape of the Dark Magician and the color faded in.

"Whoa, a Dark Magician! I haven't seen one of them in long time", Joey said. The Dark Magician twirled its staff around a few times like a bow staff.

"Dark Magician, attack Rex's Black Ptera with Dark Magic Attack". The magician slammed its staff on the Ptera, crushing it with dark magic. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 3500LP

Joey- 5800LP

Darren- 5900LP

Weevil drew his next card and giggled. "I equip my Cocoon of Evolution with the Petit Moth (A300, D200). Now every turn, my moth will grow until it reaches perfection. Next I set one monster face down in defense mode. I end my turn".

Joey pulled his card from the deck slot. "Little-Winguard, attack Weevil's face down monster". The monster flew at Weevil and poked its sword into the face down card.

"Thank you for attacking my face down Magician of Faith (A350, D400). When she's flipped up, I can bring back a magic card from my or Rex's graveyard. And I'll take the one Rex paid for Cost Down. Please, continue".

"I end my turn", Joey said. He didn't take his eyes off the card Weevil got from Rex.

"You're a fool Darren. Just because you took out one of my monsters, doesn't mean I can't still summon my Black Tyranno. My Cost Down knocked off two of its stars permanently. So I offer my Black Stego to my Black Tyranno. Now, attack his magician with Jaws of Destruction". The dinosaur bit the Dark Magician and destroyed it. "I end my turn".

Weevil-8000LP

Rex- 3500LP

Joey- 5800LP

Darren- 5800LP

Darren drew his next card. "I summon Skilled White Magician (A1700, D1900). Next I reveal my face down Pitch Black Power Stone". The magician was a light version of the Skilled Dark Magician. The black stone appeared and the triangle's points were glowing. "I move all three counters from the stone to my Skilled White Magician". The stone shattered once its points faded out. "Now I can tribute my magician for my Buster Blader (A2600, 2300). My warrior matches your Tyranno point for point. But it's stronger than Weevil's Cocoon". Weevil looked shocked. "Buster Blader, attack with Dragon Slayer Blade". The warrior leapt into the air and swung through the air.

"Go Negate Attack", Weevil' buzzing voice cried. A vortex opened in front of Buster Blader. The swordsman fell in and was returned to its place on the field.

"I end my turn", Darren said disappointedly.

Weevil drew his card. "I activate the magic card I got from Rex. Go Heavy Storm". The magic and trap cards on Joey's and Darren's field were swept up in the storm. "Next I set one card face down in defense mode. I end my turn".

Joey drew his card for the turn. "I set one card face down and end my turn".

Rex drew his card. "You guys are getting smart. You know not to keep all of your monsters in defense mode. Black Tyranno, attack the Little-Winguard". The Tyranno swallowed the tiny warrior in one bite. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 8000LP, turn one

Rex- 3500LP

Joey- 4600LP

Darren- 5800LP

Darren drew his next card. 'Joey's in trouble. He needs a monster in attack mode or else he'll get hit directly. I've gotta find a way to take out that Tyranno so I can get rid of Rex. He's definitely the weaker of the two. Weevil hasn't lost a life point yet'.

"I activate my Brain Control magic card. For the cost of 800 life points, I can take one of your guys' monsters for one turn. So I've decided to take Weevil's face down card. Next I'll offer it to summon my Dark Magician Girl (A2000, D1800)".

"You fool, that was my Man-Eater Bug (A450, D600).When it's flipped up, I can destroy one monster on the field. So say goodbye to your Buster Blader". The bug latched itself onto the swordsman and the two monsters shattered.

Darren clenched his teeth tightly. "My Dark Magician Girl receives 300 additional attack points for every Dark Magician in my graveyard and I have one". The cute girl in the Dark Magician's armor had a pink glow around her as she powered up. "Next, I equip her with the Book of Secret Arts, giving her another 300 points. I end my turn".

Weevil had an ugly little grin on his insect-like face. "Now my cocoon has risen my moth into its larval state. Just four more turns to go. But until my great beast hatches, I set one monster face down and end my turn".

Joey drew his card. "I summon my Axe Raider (A1700, D1150) in attack mode. Axe Raider, attack Weevil's face down monster". The warrior heaved its axe into the back of the card.

"That was my Gokipon. When he's destroyed, I can move one insect monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck to my hand". Weevil began searching his deck.

"I end my turn". He looked miserable. 'What's happening. I'm hardly helping Darren at all. If anything, I'm giving Weevil and Rex what they want. He's just barely able to hold of Rex's Tyranno and he can't attack Weevil's cocoon without Rex blocking the attack. But I can't draw a monster strong enough to take out either monster'.

"I set one card face down", Rex announced. "Then my Tyranno will attack Wheeler's Axe Raider". The dinosaur chomped its way through Joey's monster. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 8000LP, turn two

Rex- 3500LP

Joey- 3700LP

Darren- 5800LP

Darren drew his card. "I set one card face down and end my turn", he said. Joey looked oddly at his teammate.

'I can't send my Dark Magician Girl at Weevil because Rex would block it. And I can't block Rex for Joey because then I would be wide open for an attack from Weevil. Either way, I would only end up ruining it for myself. And Joey isn't doing so well, he would never last on his own. I just have to hope I draw something strong enough to end this'.

Weevil drew his card. "I play my magic card, Level Limit Area B. This sends all monsters with four stars or higher to defense mode". Dark Magician Girl and the Black Tyranno knelt down. "Next I play my second Cocoon of Evolution in defense mode. To end my turn, I play my Mystical Space Typhoon magic card to destroy my Level Limit".

Joey drew his card. 'That was pointless, why would he destroy that card as soon as he played it. All he did was switch the two strongest monsters on the field to defense mode', he thought. His eyes shot wide open and he looked over at Darren. 'He must have already figured it out. Now that his Dark Magician Girl is in defense mode, Rex can either destroy his monster or sneak passed into Darren's life points'.

Joey looked at his card. "No way. I found a way into your life points Dinobreath. I switch my Battle Footballer (A1000, D2100) into attack mode". The monster Joey played face down on his first turn stood up in a ready position. "Next I play my Shield and Sword magic card to swap the attack and defense of mine and an opponent's monster on the field". (Weevil: Cocoons- 0 defense, Joey: Footballer- 2100 attack). "Battle Footballer, attack Rex's Black Tyranno". The footballer tackled the dinosaur into oblivion.

"Damn, my T-rex!" Rex shouted.

"I end my turn", Joey said. His footballer's, along with Weevil's cocoons', points went back to normal.

Rex drew his card. "I summon my Oxygeddon (A1800, D800)" Air molecules started to swirl around and pick up blue color and took the shape of a dinosaur. "I attack your Battle Footballer with Oxygeddon". The monster opened its mouth and a rush of wind blew over football playing machine. "I end my turn".

Weevil- 8000LP, turn three

Rex- 3500LP

Joey- 2900LP

Darren- 5800LP

Darren pulled out his next card with a smug smile on his face. "Thanks for taking his Tyranno out for me Joey. I summon my Silent Magician Lv.4 (A1000, D1000). Dark Magician Girl, attack the Cocoon of Evoltion". The magician with blue hair and red robes materialized and looked at the Dark Magician Girl. The cute girl nodded her head at the little spellcaster. Then she leapt from her kneeling position and aimed her wand at one of the pink cocoons, then firing a burning pink wave of magic. "I end my turn".

Weevil laughed out loud. Not even Rex knew what was going on. "You should declare what you attack more specifically. You attacked the empty cocoon you fool", he shouted. He stood up straight and took a deep breath. "I set one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn", he said. The pink cocoon wiggled and grew bigger.

Joey drew his next card. "I set my Sinister Serpent (A300, D250) in defense mode. I end my turn".

Rex drew his next card. "I activate my Mystik Wok magic card on my Oxygeddon, increasing my life points by 1800. Next I reveal my face down trap card Pyro Clock of Destiny to fast forward Weevil's Cocoon of Evolution two turns. Now it is on turn six". His circular disk formed a hand of fire that rotated like the hands of a clock around the disk twice and then exploded. The pink cocoon pulsated and grew again. "My field is empty. Weevil, I know you have the magic card we need in your hand. And I have my ultimate monster in my hand. On your turn, put our strategy into motion". Weevil nodded his head.

Weevil- 8000LP, turn six

Rex- 5300LP

Joey- 2900LP

Darren- 5800LP

Darren drew his next card. 'I'm not sure what it is that they're planning, but I'll take it down', he told himself. "Since both of you have drawn a card, my Silent Magician gains 1000 attack points. Now Dark Magician Girl, attack his Cocoon of Evolution with Dark Burning Attack". The cocoon was torn to shreds by the female magician's attack. But in its wake was a great green butterfly with tremendous wings. Darren gazed in awe at the magnificent creature. Joey had an angry look on his face.

'I remember this monster. It's gonna be a bitch taking that thing out'.

"Behold my beautiful Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth (A3500, D1000)". Darren took a step back.

"I end my turn" he said.

Weevil drew his card. "It's time to show you two who the world's greatest duelists are. I combine my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth using Polymerization".

"With my Ultimate Tyranno (A3000, D2200)". The two of them held their fists in the air.

"To form…The Ultimate Tyrant Moth (A4400, D4300)", they said in unison. The moth was almost identical to the original moth, except it was much bigger and was now brown.

Weevil looked with admiration at his monster. "Tyrant Moth, attack Darren's Dark Magician Girl". The moth flapped its large wings slowly. But once it beat them once, a gust of wind and spores flew all over the Dark Magician Girl and she shattered into pieces. Darren looked angrily at the monster.

'What do I have to defeat this. There's nothing in my deck that strong. Thanatos is no use, Walker is impossible. Arcturas, you have to take over', he thought.

'No Darren, this is good for you. You must learn to overcome problems such as this. Besides, they want to duel you. I believe you can take this monster down'. Darren nodded his head.

Weevil- 8000LP

Rex- 5300LP

Joey- 2900LP

Darren-4000LP

Joey drew his card. "I guess this is all I can do. I sacrifice Sinister Serpent for my Meteor Dragon (A1800, D2000) in defense mode. I end my turn".

Rex drew his card. "I don't know why I even bother draw anymore, there's nothing you guys can do about our monster", he said.

"Shut it Rex", Darren said. "Your monster isn't so great. I've seen a monster that would wipe the floor with that thing. And that's exactly what I plan to do. Joey, I have a plan, but I'm going to need your help. Tell me, is the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in your hand?"

"Yeah but".

"Thanks, that's all I needed to know". Joey looked puzzled.

"Enough talking. If you're so confidant, then I'm going to have to break you of that. Tyrant Moth, attack his Silent Magician". The Silent Magician (now at 3000) braced for impact.

"Hold that thought. Spellbinding Circle!" Darren shouted. The magical seal bound the moth to its place in mid attack. "Your monster is trapped. I've put and end to your attacks".

"That's where you're wrong", Weevil interrupted. "The Tyrant Moth is only affected by trap cards for one turn. After that, the trap card goes away and our moth is perfectly unharmed".

"And since I end my turn, your circle is gone", Rex declared. With his words, the circle faded from existence.

Darren drew his card. "Allow me to demonstrate how vulnerable your monster really is. First I need a monster. "So I activate my Dark Magic Curtain. This will let me special summon a Dark Magician from my deck, as long as I pay half of my life points". Darren's life points dropped and the Dark Magician flew from the projectors. "Next I sacrifice him for my Dark Ruler Ha Des (A2450, D1600)". Joey's jaw dropped when he saw Darren sacrifice the Dark Magician for a weaker monster. "Now Joey, this is where I need your help. I activate my own Polymerization card to fuse my Dark Ruler, Joey's Meteor Dragon, and the Red-Eyes in his hand to summon…Hellfire Dragon (A4100, D4500)". The monster resembled the Meteor Black Dragon, only the red parts were now blue and there were two long horns protruding from its forehead.

"So what, your monster is still weaker than ours", Rex mocked.

"Sure it is now, but I guarantee it'll take out your moth. You see, when Hellfire Dragon is summoned, both Joey and I get to bring back one magic card from our graveyards and activate them immediately. I choose my Book of Secret Arts". Darren looked at Joey with a determined look in his eyes.

'What card does he want my to get. I don't really see how Dian Keto the Cure Master would help. So the only other magic card left is…of course', Joey pondered.

"I bring back my Shield and Sword magic card. And I choose to switch the points of my monsters and Rex's", he announced. The magic cards glowed as they activated. The Book of Secret Arts pumped the Silent Magician up to 3300 and the Shield and Sword swapped the attacks of the Tyrant Moth (A4300, D4400) and Hellfire Dragon (A4500, D4100).

"Now then, let's find out which monster is stronger. Hellfire Dragon, attack the Tyrant Moth with Inferno Explosion", Darren ordered. The dragon opened its mouth and a roar of flames engulfed the moth.

"No! it's impossible!" Rex and Weevil both cried. Tears were streaming down their faces.

"This is the end. I play my magic card, De-Fusion to separate my dragon back into its original pieces". Rex and Weevil grabbed onto each other and the tears fell faster. "Meteor Dragon, attack the face down monster on Weevil's side of the field". The dragon opened its mouth and a flaming rock flew into the brown backed card. "Now Silent Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack Rex's life points directly". The two mighty creatures blasted at Rex and dropped his life points to zero. "And as per tag-team tournament rules, if one opponent's life points hit zero, both teammates lose". The losers cried out in shame.

"Don't you forget this. We're not finished with you two yet", Weevil shouted. Tears were falling faster than ever. He was holding up his fist.

"Yeah, we'll have our revenge", Rex continued. The two of them took off running down the strip.

"Darren, I know from experience, you're in for a rough life", Joey said. The two of them picked up their cards and put their decks away. "At least I got one win tonight".

"Yeah you were great in that duel. I couldn't have asked for a better partner", Darren said. Joey blushed.

"Nah, you did all the work. You matched every powerful monster Rex summoned and countered Weevil's traps. And your Hellfire Dragon won for us", Joey protested.

"But I wouldn't have been able to beat their moth without your Shield and Sword. And Hellfire Dragon came from two of your monsters and only one of mine. I couldn't have won without you", Darren told him. Joey blushed again.

"So are you stayin' around for much longer?" he asked.

"Can't. I have to be up bright and early for the tournament tomorrow. I was out late last night and it showed earlier. I have to get some sleep".

"Alright. Well I hope we can duel again sometime", Joey said. He held his hand out. Darren took it and shook it before parting ways with his newfound friend.

In the darkness of the Shadow Realm, a figure walked in silence. "Damn that pathetic bastard. He doesn't know who he's dealing with. Well he hasn't seen the last of me. There's no escaping the darkness. And if you roam too deep into the shadows, eventually they won't let go".

**Whew, what a mental workout. Well this was a nice way to kill eleven hours. Does anyone know a cure for numb butt? Anyway, Darren's made another new friend. But what's happening with Andy. Did that duel with Cairo take more away than just the ring? Only time will tell.**


	15. Hell's Chess Set

Stronger than Death 

The smell of moisture filled Darren's nostrils. He scratched at his ribs and stretched his limbs. He slowly opened his eyes and took in the surrounding. When his thoughts registered in his mind, a look of udder horror washed over his face. He wasn't lying in his hotel room. He wasn't sure he was even on Earth. The sky had an angry red glow with that was partially blocked out by orange clouds. But the ground had a yellow/green tint that looked like old vegetables. And there was nobody around. It looked like he was in a city. Well, the remains of a city. The structures were in ruins. Bricks were scattered over the ground. And what looked like bones were mixed up with the litter.

_'Where am I? I don't remember ever hearing about a place like this_', Darren thought. He closed his eyes in deep concentration. He opened them with frustration on his face. _'Right now, I wish I didn't sleep in geography class every day_'. He looked around the scene again. _'I get a bad feeling from this place'._ He stood up and walked slowly through the city. His eyes darted from side to side. He looked for the slightest sign of life. But the only trace that anything had once inhabited this wasteland were the bone-like objects on the ground.

_'Those can't be bones. They look like burned rocks. It's just the shape. They're not bones, just rocks'_, he assured himself. The looming clouds hung low over the city like they were spying on him. Darren stopped walking and looked around when he heard a faint scraping sound coming from his right. He noticed there were two damaged walls with space between them. _'That must have been an alley. But what's that noise?'_, he pondered. He crept down the alley and peeked around the corner. He quickly withdrew his head and his breathing intensified. He peered back around to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. A creature one two legs had its back to Darren. It's tan body was hunched over and it looked like it was working on something. Darren watched the creature move its arms in front of itself. A bead of sweat ran down Darren's cheek and fell off his chin. He looked down to see the droplet touch the ground. The creature stopped and stood up tall. Even from here, Darren knew the monster was bigger than him.

_'Oh hell, there is no way it could have heard that'._ The monster turned around with a demonic snarl on its face. In its right hand was one of the black rocks that looked like bones. Its left arm ended at the wrist. Instead of a hand, a long, sharp blade protruded like a sword. The monster growled and leapt high into the air. Darren turned and ran through the alley before turning and running down what was probably once a road. He looked back to see the monster chasing after him, gaining on him. Darren tipped and fell. He flipped over to face his pursuer. The monster stopped and was slowly moving in on its prey. Darren held up his left arm and for the first time since he arrived, he noticed there was a duel disk on his arm.

"So you want to play?" he called. He drew a card from the deck. "I summon, hey what the?! This isn't my deck. I haven't used this card since I moved to the city". He pulled another one out. "Or this one. Well a monster's a monster. Go Karbonala Warrior". His monster was a knight in dark purple armor. A sturdy sword was in its hands. "Attack that thing with Karbon Blade Strike". The knight raised its sword, but the monster was faster. While the Karbonala's hands were up, the creature stabbed it in the chest. The warrior bust into pieces. "Okay, we don't have to play", Darren said. He jumped up and started running again. He heard the crashing footsteps of the beast behind him. Darren saw a large clearing up ahead. It looked like it might have been the town square. It was a round area with no buildings. Darren's heart plummeted six feet underground. The clearing was a hole in the ground. An abyss with no visible bottom. There were three stairs around the edge. He turned to face the monster, but it had stopped. Darren took a step sideways and was about to run when something changed his mind.

A red bear with a rabid look in its eyes was standing directly in front of him. Chains were wrapped around the bear. The beast growled at Darren. "Good boy Pandemonium", echoed a deep voice (like Titan from Yu-Gi-Oh GX). Darren looked across the pit and saw a monster like the first one, but more majestic and in robes. It was walking over the hole, right on the air. "There's no use running child. You will never escape my Vilepawn or my Watchbear. The look on Darren's face was angry and fearful.

"Where is this place?" Darren asked. The tall beast laughed deeply. Darren cringed at the sound.

"You must be joking child. This is the grand city Pandemonium. The city of the Archfiends", he answered. He stepped onto the ground next to Darren. He towered over Darren at almost twice his height.

"What happened here? Why is it in ruins?" Darren pushed. The thing's face became darker.

"Ruins? This place is beautiful. I suppose your human eyes don't let you see that. To you, the city that was once here was perfect. But the power of Pandemonium has put an end to that urban wasteland. The city and its inhabitants are gone".

"What happened to them?"

"My, you do ask a lot of questions child". The man grinned. "They're dead. Vaporized by the very power of Pandemonium. All that remains are the charred bones of which my subjects eat". Darren saw the Vilepawn that had been chasing him earlier chewing on one of the black rocks. "And the same shall happen to you child, unless you swear on your life to serve me. Otherwise, you'll end up like all the others". The monster narrowed its eyes on Darren. Darren quickly snatched a card from his duel disk. "Stupid boy", the monster said. He pushed Darren into the hole before he could summon a monster.

Darren landed in the hole and looked up. The bottom wasn't that far down. The monster looked into the hole and grinned. "You brought it upon yourself child". The monster raised its right arm and black clouds filled the sky. They parted to make a ring. The sky behind was now green. In the blink of an eye, the three rings that were steps glowed green and a green beam of energy fired down into the hole on Darren.

Darren jumped up and landed on his but. Something was draped around his head. He pulled it off and was blinded by sunlight. He squinted so he could see. He looked up and noticed he was sitting on the floor next to his bed.

"Must have only been a dream", he said to himself. His heart was pounding on the inside of his chest and sweat was running down his face. He stood up and looked at the clock next to his hotel bed. "I still have a half hour. I have time to get myself clean". Darren took a quick shower and got dressed. He flipped through his deck and took a quick glance through his spare cards. "Hmm, these cards might come in handy. I'll give them a try". He looked at the alarm clock as it read 8:53. "I guess I should get going". He walked down the hall and hopped into the elevator. He noticed that the other people on the ride down had their duel disks as well. They all looked at him with determined looks. But one shorter boy stood by the button panel. He was the only one who didn't look at Darren. His dark brown hair was combed into a part. He wore round glasses and a white button up shirt. He never took his eyes off the button panel, watching the lights go down. The ceiling let out a soft 'Ding', and the doors opened. The duelists filed out of the small room and left the hotel. They walked as a group across the street to the tournament building. Darren examined each on of them. Not a single one looked any better than him.

_'Maybe I was lucky enough to get paired up with a bunch of nobodies'_, Darren hoped. They entered the building and split up. There wasn't much talking in this building. _'I guess everyone is serious from this point on. I just have to remember, none of them have anymore wins in this thing than I do. They're all the same as me. The only difference is I'm gonna win_'. He looked up at the monitor and the screen lit up, revealing the pairs of the next round. Darren looked for a few seconds and saw his name. _'Zerrato, huh?'_ The pictures of the duelists showed up next to the names and Darren couldn't believe his eyes. He whipped his head around to see the short boy from the elevator coming toward him. Something Darren hadn't noticed earlier was a necklace the boy had. It looked like a king from a fancy chess set.

"Are you ready for your last Kingda Ka Duel?" the boy asked right away. Darren stared blankly at the kid.

_'Who does this dork think he's kidding? He looks too young to even be in this tournament. But whatever. If he wants to lose his rare cards, it's his choice_', Darren told himself.

"Alright shorty, you talk a big game, let's see if you back it up. Let's duel". Darren slipped out five cards from his duel disk.

"Third page of the Duel Monsters handbook says that before a duel begins, one player flips a coin and calls it in the air. That player then decides who goes first". He pulled out a gold coin and flipped it in the air. "Tails", he called. The coin landed, showing the backside of a card. "It's tails. I choose myself to go first". He pulled six cards from his deck. "Alright, I summon my Archfiend Soldier (A1900, D1500) in attack mode. Then I set one card face down. I end my turn". A skeleton-like warrior with a dark purple robe materialized.

Darren drew his sixth card. "I play my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card. Then I summon my Skilled Dark Magician (A1900, D1700)". The magician formed in his dark robes. It spun its staff around and slammed it on the ground. "Then I'll equip him with the Book of Secret Arts, giving him a 300 point power boost. Skilled Dark Magician, attack his Archfiend". The magician waved its staff and a purple bolt of lightning struck the skeleton soldier. "I end my turn".

Zerrato- 7700LP

Darren- 8000LP

Zerrato drew his card. "I summon my Vilepawn Archfiend (A1200, D200)". The tan monster with the blade arm rose from a vortex of data particles. Darren gasped as he saw the monster. "Next I activate my field card, Pandemonium". The ruined city of Pandemonium formed around Darren and his opponent. The ground was covered in stone fragments and charred bones. A green glow washed over the two duelists. "I'll end my turn by setting one card face down".

Darren drew his card. "I set one card face down. Now Skilled Dark Magician, attack his Vilepawn". The magician raised his staff and the purple lightning revolved around the top.

"I think not. Go Shadow Spell". Black chains shot from the violet outlined card and wrapped themselves around Darren's monster. "Now your monster is trapped in attack mode. But as a bonus to me, his attack points are decreased by 700 points".

"I end my turn", Darren mumbled. Zerrato grinned and drew his next card.

"I summon my Shadowknight Archfiend (A2000, D1600)". Another disturbing creature like the Vilepawn formed facing Darren. "Shadowknight, attack his Skilled Dark Magician". The monster raised its clawed hand and swiped down through the spellcaster. "My monster's battle damage is cut in half. Now Vilepawn, attack his life points directly". Darren put his arms up as the monster slashed at him with its sword arm. "I end my turn".

Zerrato- 7700LP

Darren- 6550LP

Darren drew his card. "I summon my Skilled White Magician (A1700, D1900)". A monster almost identical to the Skilled Dark Magician, but with white robes materialized. "Skilled White Magician, attack his Vilepawn". The magician's white robes gave off a green reflection from the light of Pandemonium. It fired a white ball of magic at the small, tan monster. "I end my turn".

Zerrato- 7200LP

Darren- 6550LP

Zerrato drew his card with a smirk on his face. _'What's he so happy about? He's hardly winning. And what's with these Archfiends? They're the same monsters from my dream last night. And this field card is the same Pandemonium. This is weird'_.

"I set one card face down. Then I summon my Infernalqueen Archfiend (A900, D1500)". What looked to be a female Archfiend appeared from the projectors. "Then I'll activate her ability to increase her attack points by 1000 until the end of my turn". The monster shrieked and her attack points climbed up the meter. "Attack his monster my Infernalqueen". The monster pulled out a small knife and stabbed the Skilled White Magician. "Attack him directly Shadowknight". The Archfiend raised its claws.

"Go Sakuretsu Armor". A violet card flipped up. "This will stop your attack and destroy your monster". A large, six-sided die rose from the ground. "What's going on?"

"It's my Shadowknight's special effect. Whenever he's targeted by one of your effects, he gets a saving throw. If I roll a three, your card is negated before it activates". The die started to spin at enormous speed. "Stop!" Zerrato shouted. The die landed, revealing six dots. The die lowered itself back into the floor. The Shadowknight burst into pieces. "I end my turn". Darren drew his card.

Zerrato- 7200LP

Darren- 6350LP

"I remove my Skilled Dark Magician and my Skilled White Magician from play to summon my Chaos Sorcerer (A2300, D2000). I activate my monster's special ability. I can remove a monster on the field from play". The muscular sorcerer in black robes grinned at Zerrato. A ball of dark energy formed in his left hand. He fired it at the Infernalqueen. Before the attack made contact, another die rose from the ground.

"My Infernalqueen is gifted with the Archfiend effect as well. She needs to roll a two or a five to block your attack". The die began spinning again. "Stop!" The die came crashing down with five dots facing up. "Your effect is negated".

"Well, since I can't attack with my Chaos Sorcerer, I end my turn".

Zerrato picked up a card. "Now it is time to summon my favorite monster. I summon Terrorking Archfiend (A2000, D1500)". The robed skeleton from Darren's nightmare rose from the pit of Pandemonium. Darren's mind raced back to his nightmare.

_//Flashback//_

_Darren looked across the pit and saw a monster like the first one, but more majestic and in robes. It was walking over the hole, right on the air. "There's no use running child. You will never escape my Vilepawn or my Watchbear. The look on Darren's face was angry and fearful. _

_"Where is this place?" Darren asked. The tall beast laughed deeply. Darren cringed at the sound._

_"You must be joking child. This is the grand city Pandemonium. The city of the Archfiends", he answered. He stepped onto the ground next to Darren. He towered over Darren at almost twice his height. _

_//End Flashback//_

"What's the matter?" Zerrato asked. Darren's face was that of someone who had just witnessed a suicide. "Hey, are you alright?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. I was just…remembering something. Continue with your turn". Zerrato looked at Darren suspiciously.

"Okay, I increase my Terrorking's attack points by 1000 points with Infernalqueen's effect. Attack his sorcerer with King's Judgement". The king raises a hammer and smashed the Chaos Sorcerer. "Now attack his life points directly". The Infernalqueen stabbed Darren in the side and jumped back to her post. "Now that my Terrorking is on the field, it's only a matter of time before I get you into check".

Zerrato- 7200LP

Darren- 4750LP

_'Where have I heard that before?'_ Darren thought. He closed his eyes and tried to remember.

_//Flashback//_

_Darren was sitting outside his school cafeteria at a table. Across from him was a short boy. He looked a lot like Zerrato, only a little younger. And his hair was red. On the table between them was a chess set. Darren had a troubled look on his face. He looked at the smug grin on the other kid's face. _

_"Just give up Darren. That's checkmate. That means there are no moves you can make that won't result in your loss". Darren looked at the board and his face made a frown. _

_"Fine Ronald, I give up". He reached into his pocket. _

_"Good, now hand over your duel monsters deck". Darren handed him the deck of cards. "There's a good boy". Tears filled in the young Darren's eyes. _

_"Wait! Ronald, I'll play a quick game with you". Came a voice from the side. Both Ronald and Darren looked over to see Luke walking toward them. _

_"You think you can beat me at a game of chess? You should no better Luke, I'm unbeatable". _

_"No, we won't be playing chess. We'll be playing a game with Duel Monster cards". Ronald bore a confused look. "The rules are we both draw a card from the top of our decks. Then whoever draws the stronger monster wins. Ronald grinned again._

_"Okay, I'll play. But if I win, I get your deck, too". _

_Luke nodded his head. "And if I win, You have to give Darren his deck back". _

_Ronald titled his head down and the glare off his glasses hid his eyes. "Alright then". He pulled a card out of his shirt pocket and laid it on the table. He drew his top card and looked at it. "Ha! My Terrorking Archfiend. He's my strongest card. Since I drew him, it won't belong before I have you in check._

_Luke set a deck of cards on the table as well. He picked up a card and his face became emotionless. Ronald nearly jumped out of his seat. "You no, gambling isn't such a good idea. Because sometimes, you lose everything", he said._

_"Aha! You lost didn't you hand over your deck". Darren looked up at Luke, Luke turned the card around to show the face. _

_"No sorry, I won. My Beast of Talwar has 2400 attack points, making him stronger than your Terrorking. So you hand over Darren's deck". Ronald put the deck down and picked his up before walking off. _

_"Hey thanks Luke", Darren said. Luke sat down across from him. _

_"Don't worry about it. Just watch out when you make bets. Sometimes, it's not worth it. Here, why don't you have this". Luke handed Darren a card._

_"Your Beast of Talwar, are you sure?" Luke nodded._

_"I think it would be better if you had it". Luke knocked over the king piece where Ronald had been sitting. _

_//End Flashback//_

"Hey, are you even paying attention? I said it's your turn". Darren shook his head and looked at his monsterless field.

"Yeah, sorry". He drew his card. "I activate my Pot of Greed magic card. This will let me draw two cards". A green jar exploded on the field. Darren picked up two more cards. "Next I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000)". The red warrior stood facing the two Archfiends. "Then I'll sacrifice his counter to destroy your face down card". Breaker fired a red aura from his blade at the face down card. "And I think we could use a change of scenery. I activate my Mystic Plasma Zone, giving Breaker 500 attack points". Black clouds formed in the sky and thunder crashed. A bolt of lighting crashed down and destroyed the entire city of Pandemonium.

"No, my city", Zerrato shouted.

"Now that my monster is stronger, I'll have him attack your Infernalqueen". Breaker slashed his sword through the queen. "I end my turn".

Zerrato- 6000LP

Darren- 4750LP

Zerrato drew his card and looked at the bricks left over from Pandemonium's demise. "I set two cards face down and switch my Terroking to defense mode".

Zerrato- 5200LP

Darren- 4750LP

"Why did your life points drop?" Darren asked.

"That's the backfire to the Archfiends. Every turn they make me pay some of my life points. But as long as I have Pandemonium as the field, that effect is negated".

Darren nodded his head in understanding. He drew his card. "I summon Sorcerer of the Doomed (A1450, D1200) in attack mode". A gray skeleton dressed in robes made from heads appeared. A staff with a skull on top was in its left hand. "And because he's a dark type monster, he gets powered up by the Mystic Plasma Zone as well. Now my Sorcerer, attack his Terrorking". The skeleton held its staff out at the king and a red flashed washed over the king and it disappeared. "Now attack him Breaker". Breaker swung his sword through Zerrato. "I end my turn".

Zerrato-3100LP

Darren- 4750LP

Zerrato slid his next card from his deck. "I set one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn".

Darren drew his card. "Yes. I sacrifice my Breaker the Magical Warrior and Sorcerer of the Doomed for the Dark Magician (A2500, D2100).

"Reveal face down card, Bottomless Trap Hole. This card sends one monster with 1500 or more attack points out of play". A hole opened under the Dark Magician and he disappeared.

"I end my turn", Darren said.

Zerrato drew his next card. "I sacrifice my face down Vilepawn for my Dark Ruler Ha Des (A2450, D1600). And because he's dark, he's increase by 500 points. Now attack his life points directly". Ha Des punched Darren with his massive fist. "I end my turn".

Zerrato- 3100LP

Darren- 1800LP

Darren drew his card. _'Okay, time to be careful. I only have a handful of life points left'. _He scanned his hand. "I set one card face down. Then I activate my face down Stop Defense magic card to flip it up. It's my Cyber Jar, and when it's flipped up all monsters on the field go to the graveyard. Then we summon all level four or lower monsters from the first five cards in our decks". The Cyber Jar sucked in everything and exploded.

"Okay, I summon another Infernalqueen and my Darkbishop Archfiend (A300, D1400)".

"And I summon my Rapid Fire Magician (A1600, D1200) and my Apprentice Magician (A400, D800)". The monsters rose one the field. "I end my turn".

Zerrato drew his next card, but put it in his hand with the rest of his cards. "I sacrifice my Darkbishop to summon my Skull Archfiend of Lightning (A2500, D1200)". A muscular skeleton monster with lightning flowing around it materialized. "Attack his Apprentice Magician!"

"Go, Negate Attack! This instantly ends your battle phase".

"Well my turn's not over. I activate my Rare Gold Armor on my Skull Archfiend. This will make it so you can only attack him. Now I end my turn". The skeleton was encased in a shimmering golden suit of armor.

Zerrato- 2100LP

Darren- 1800LP

Darren drew his card. "Okay, I sacrifice my Apprentice Magician for My Summoned Skull (A2500, D1200)". An identical monster to the Skull Archfiend entered from a bolt of lightning. "Then to empty my hand, I'll equip him with my Sword of the Deep Seated and Ring of Magnetism. Now he's the only monster you can attack. I end my turn".

Zerrato drew his next card. "Here's a card you won't overcome. My Hell's Chess Set. First I sacrifice every card on my field. Then I get to search my deck for one of each of my royal Archfiends". Zerrato quickly flipped through his deck. "So I special summon Terrorking, Infernalqueen, Darkbishop, Shadowknight, and Desrook Archfiend (A1100, D1800). And not only that, Hell's Chess Set changes the field to Pandemonium". The destroyed city replaced the dark thunderstorm. "I can't attack this turn because of my magic card, so I end my turn. But just so you know, on my next turn if I sacrifice my Hell's Chess Set, my monsters can all attack your life points directly".

Darren's jaw dropped. '_There's no way in hell there's a card that let's you do that'_. He drew his card. "Let's see, I need to get past five monsters to keep mine safe, but how. I have an idea, but I don't have enough cards in my graveyard. But wait, he has enough card". Darren grinned at Zerrato.

"What are you so happy about?" Zerrato asked.

"I refuse to let you win Zerrato. I activate my Charity magic card. This will let me draw three cards". Darren's hand now consisted of three cards. "Now I activate my Graveyard Expansion card. For the cost of 1000 life points a turn, this card allows us both to share our graveyards, which I needed to pull off this next move. I sacrifice Darkbishop Archfiend, Infernalqueen Archfiend, and Skull Archfiend of Lightning from the graveyard to special summon my Dark Necrofear (A2200, D2800). And finally, I sacrifice my Blast Magician to summon my Beast of Talwar (A2400, D2200)". The bald, blue woman sheltering the baby doll rose arose from a hole in the ground with a flowing black aura around her. And next to her formed a fiendish warrior brandishing twin scimitars.

_//Flashback//_

"_Aha! You lost didn't you hand over your deck". Darren looked up at Luke, Luke turned the card around to show the face. _

_"No sorry, I won. My Beast of Talwar has 2400 attack points, making him stronger than your Terrorking. So you hand over Darren's deck". Ronald put the deck down and picked his up before walking off._

_//End Flashback//_

"No, it's impossible for you to have drawn the right cards needed to make that move", Zerrato shouted. "I built the ultimate fiend deck. The Archfiend's are an unbeatable set, there's no way you can stop me".

Darren shrugged. "I think I'm about to". He pointed at his opponent's monsters. "Attack my three fiends". The Summoned Skull blasted a jolt of electricity at the Darkbishop. Then Beast of Talwar slashed the Infernalqueen to pieces. And the Dark Necrofear hurled a wave of darkness into the Shadowknight.

"Activate Hell's Chess Set!" Zerrato's little voice cried. Darren looked shocked at the field. The monsters weren't fading away.

"Hey, what's the big idea. I did more than enough damage to take you out", Darren said in bewilderment.

"It's the secret ability of Hell's Chess Set. Instead of sacrificing it to it my monsters attack, I can use its other ability. It only works if Desrook and Terrorking are the only monsters on my field. You see in chess, there is a move called castling. This lets you switch the position of your Rook and King, so long as neither have moved yet. And the move I made is similar. Since neither monster made and attack, I could sacrifice my Desrook to give me life points equal to the position he's in and switch my Terrorking to attack mode. So now I still have 1100 life points". Darren looked at the monster sitting in defense mode as it cowered in fear before his monsters.

_//Flashback//_

"_Stupid boy", the monster said. He pushed Darren into the hole before he could summon a monster._

Darren landed in the hole and looked up. The bottom wasn't that far down. The monster looked into the hole and grinned. "You brought it upon yourself child". The monster raised its right arm and black clouds filled the sky. They parted to make a ring. The sky behind was now green. In the blink of an eye, the three rings that were steps glowed green and a green beam of energy fired down into the hole on Darren.

_//End Flashback//_

_'I can't wait to teat that monster a new one'_, Darren thought. He looked at Zerrato's face. He looked uneasy about something.

"Darren Fantasy, I concede to you", Darren looked shocked. "You have me in check and I can't escape. So congratulations, you win. Terrorking, attack the Beast of Talwar". The king pulled out its hammer, but the armed demon was too fast. In two flashes of light, the king was torn to pieces. "I end my turn and the match".

Zerrato- 700LP

Darren- 100LP

_'Damn that's lucky. At the end of my next turn, Graveyard Expansion would have hit me for another thousand points, and I wouldn't have had enough'_, Darren thought.

**(A/N- The effect of Graveyard Expansion is supposed to take out 1000 LP on each on every single turn, opponent's included.)**

"Congratulations again, Darren", Zerrato said. He pulled off the top card of his deck and quickly examined it. "Here, my next draw was my bet card, Mazera De Ville. To bad I never got to pull this bad boy out", he said.

Darren looked at the card. "Thanks for the great match", he replied. Zerrato nodded his head with a smile on his face.

"Who knows, maybe we'll meet again".

"That'd be cool". Zerrato turned and walked away. Darren went over and sat down in a chair. _'I hope there aren't any other decks like that. I think I won out of luck',_ he thought.

_'Well it would be a pretty boring tournament if everyone else was easier'_, Arcturas responded.

_'Yeah, but another duel like that, and I might not make it to the next round'_.

_'Nonsense. You came here to win, and that's exactly what you're gonna do'_. Darren got a determined look on his face.

_'Yeah! I wonder how Andy's doing in his hot shot tournament'_,

Andy drew his card from his deck. He looked out on the field at his two monsters. One was a heroic man with green feathers surrounding his body. The other was a gray woman in a red jumpsuit. Opposing them was a man in yellow and blue armor. There was also a bomb looking monster with a timer and a golden dragon.

"Just face it Andy, I've got this game won. I've taken your precious Sparkman with my Snatch Steal and at the beginning of my turn, Jigen Bakudan will go off and take out your remaining life points. And thanks to my Blue Stratoshield, my Curse of Dragon won't take any damage". Andy looked at the life point meters.

Andy- 1600LP

Some other guy- 2000LP

_'I only I could find a way to hit him hard enough to end the duel before that Jigen Bakudan goes off_, he thought. He looked in his hand. _'Oh please help'._

"I activate my Pot of Greed magic card so I can draw two more cards". The other guy just yawned loudly. Andy drew his first card. Nothing. Then the second. Gold. "I activate my Polymerization magic card. This will combine my Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix to form Elemental Hero Flame Wingman". The two heroes merged in a column of fire and emerged as a green monster with a wing on one side and a dragon's head for an arm on the other.

"Wha…what! NOOOOOOOO!" the other guy screeched.

"Flame Wingman, attack with his Curse of Dragon with Sky Dive Scorcher". The wingman was enveloped in a curtain of flames and crashed down into the golden dragon.

"So what. You only managed to take out a few points".

"That's where you're wrong", Andy corrected. "My wingman's super power kicks in. He inflicts direct damage to you equal to the attack of your destroyed monster". The wingman flew up to the other guy and the dragon head opened up. A stream of fire covered the guy, wiping out his life points. "And that's game!'

"Ladies and gentlemen, Andy Jones has just won his first Shiek Ra duel with a deck other than his horrifying fiends. Let's give it up for Andy", the announcer shouted into the stands. The crowd went crazy. Andy took a smug bow.

Darren sat in the chair. "Oh well, I guess I'll find out when I get home".

**I thought I would incorporate some of the ideas from the show, like showing the same scenes from one flashback multiple times. And I thought it would be good to get some of Darren's old life in. Also, since Andy wasn't possessed by the spirit of the Millenium Ring anymore, I decided to give him a new deck. But anyway, I know this is late, but happy holidays to everyone.**


	16. Arcturas's Final Memories

Stronger than Death 

Darren sat in the chair, resting after his duel with Zerrato. He opened his deck box and slipped Mazera De Ville in. _'Thank a lot Luke. I might not have won if it hadn't been for you'_. He flipped through his deck until he got to the Beast of Talwar.

_'I'll bet if Luke were here he'd be proud'_, Arcturas assured. Darren smiled and put his deck into his duel disk.

_'Arcturas, do you remember any of your old friends?'_ Darren asked his alter ego. There was a pause. _'Arcturas?'_

_'Yes, I do remember some. I remember the ones from my last memory. But I don't remember most of them_', Arcturas answered.

_'Well, what is that memory of'_, Darren continued.

_'I don't want to talk about it_'. Darren was about to push for the answer, but thought about what his father said to him.

_//Flashback//_

"_Give it time. Eventually he'll need your help and you'll learn everything. But until then, be patient". Darren sighed. "Believe me, some things you're not ready to know"._

_//End Flashback//_

_'Alright, you don't have to tell me_', he said.

_'Thank you'_. Darren tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Arcturas stood in the halls of Darren's mind. There was a look of great depression on his face. He looked down at his feet and his black hair fell in his face. _'If only it were any other memory'._

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Arcturas stood in a brightly lit room. It was made of sandy rocks and had gold carved into the walls. Long, silk banners hung from the ceiling. It was the banquet hall of a palace. Torches were everywhere, illuminating the enormous dining room. It was where grand feasts were held. It was always full of laughter and excitement. It was a place where everyone had a good time. But not now.

Pieces of the wall were strewn over the floor. The tables were broken and splintered. Torches were on the ground, setting things ablaze. The banners had been torn down and shred. Some of them were burning. And there were bodies. Bodies lay on the floor, motionless. Some were dressed in royal robes. Others in the armor of the palace. Some in priest robes. And some of them were in black cloaks. They were the enemy. The ones in black were the ones who had made the assault on the kingdom of Pharaoh Atem.

Of the nearly one hundred bodies that littered the floor of the banquet hall, only about twenty were in black. The rest were servants of the Pharaoh. Arcturas stood in his flowing blue robes. He moved some of his long black hair from his face. A golden staff was in his right hand. It stretched all the way to the floor and was almost as tall as him. At the top was a cobra's head (like Jafar's from Alladin). One of the ancient duel disks was on his left wrist. The power gage looked untouched. Hanging from his neck was the golden Millenium Medallion. He had a look of distress across his face, but a burning anger in his eyes.

_'So many have fallen because of Vincent Frost. The dark priest will not make it out of the palace alive. This I promise to you my fallen allies. But I fear that tonight I will have to summon my Black Angel'_. He clenched tightly on the staff in his hand. A tear ran down the outline of his cheek, but he quickly brushed it away.

"I cannot cry. I must fulfill my obligations to my King. I was named the Seventh Guardian, Arcturas the Undefeated and I am to keep that title by protecting the Pharaoh from the three dark priests". Loud clapping came from a hall to his left. The sound of feet smacking the stone floor rapidly was drawing near. Arcturas turned to face the hallway and held his staff in front of him. A black aura glowed around his left hand. The steps quickly halted just before the turn to the doorway. Arcturas's eyes narrowed as he looked for any sign of the intruder. "Show yourself!" he shouted. A person in priest robes walked into the room.

"Guardian Arcturas, I'm so glad to see you. I was afraid the hall would be full of the enemy", he said. He had short brown hair with a cowlick on one side. His robes were a dark green. He had an ancient duel disk on his left wrist.

"For a second there Rocho, I thought you were one of the enemy. But no, this battle is over", he said uncomfortably. Rocho looked stunned at him.

"What's wrong? You should be glad that you were to stop these intruders", he said.

"Though I was able to stop them from reaching his highness, I couldn't stop them from slaughtering our friends. Almost eighty of our men lay here. That's nearly four times as many as theirs. I must get to the throne room and serve the Pharaoh. Has your strongest monster been summoned yet?" the guardian asked the priest.

"No, I haven't summoned my beast of lightning. I haven't needed to yet. How about you. Have you needed to resort to the Black Angel yet?" Arcturas merely shook his head. "I wish I knew where Vulcan Flare is. We could really use his help. His dragon is almost as strong as the Pharaoh's three great beasts".

"I have a bad feeling he won't be able to help us tonight", Arcturas said with the same uncomfortable tone. "I need you to go to the throne room and tell the Pharaoh I'm on my way. I just have to speak with someone before I can get there".

Rocho looked at Arcturas. "It's Destiny right? Your lucky that such a pretty girl likes you. If you manage to survive tonight, are you gonna ask her to marry you?" Arcturas has a mournful look of doubt on his face.

"I don't know Rocho. Right now, I just hope I can keep the Pharaoh alive through the night. But go now and tell him I'm on my way".

"Alright. But is it true? Is he really going to give you the Millenium Puzzle so you may keep it safe from the dark priest?"

"Again, I don't know. Just go now. And should you run into Flare, tell him to go to the throne room if he is still loyal to our king". Rocho nodded his head and ran in the direction of the throne room. Arcturas stood in the banquet hall in silence. He heard the occasional crash from another part of the palace as battles raged on. Beads of sweat were forming on his face as he thought of how much time he was losing.

_'Where is she. I told her to meet me here almost an hour ago. Any longer and I'll have to_'. His thoughts were cut short by a soft voice behind him. He looked back to see a girl facing him. She had a cute face glistening with two brilliant green eyes. And her bright blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a pink dress. She across the room toward the seventh guardian as he took a few steps to meet her. They stood directly in front of each other. She looked up at the cold, cruel expression on his face. It seemed to lighten when he looked back. She held her hands in front of her breasts.

Arcturas held up his left hand and move his knuckles over her warm cheek. Neither of them said anything for a few moments. He held his staff to the side and slammed it against the floor, lodging it in the stone. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. Some of the worry in her face disappeared.

"I don't want anything to happen to you. I want you to leave the palace. If I make it through the night, meet me on the palace steps tomorrow so I can see you. But I don't want you to get hurt and you will if you stay here. So take refuge in the village", he finally said. The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Why? Why can't you come with me now and live. I don't want anything to happen to you either", she said. The tears rolled down her face.

"I can't. I am a guardian of the Pharaoh and it is my duty to put his life before my own. I am sworn to protect him at any cost".

"I beg you…please come and be with me. I don't want to lose you", she begged. She put her hands on his face. He moved his hands over her cheeks and onto where the back of the neck meets the head. He leaned in and gave her a long, passionate kiss. In the background, the chorus to **When Love and Death Embrace** by **HIM** is playing. He pulled her close to him and forced her into his chest. Moments passed before he let go and they pulled their lips apart. She looked up into the hollow black abyss of his eyes as he gazed back down into the water pools of life that were hers.

"I cannot", he said.

Another crystal tear slipped down her face and she bit part of her lower lip before saying, "I see".

"Wait for me in the village and I promise I'll come back", he said. She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek and turned and walked out of the hall. Arcturas watched her until she was out of sight. He gave a sigh, and tore his staff out of the ground. He turned in the other direction and took off running. He ran up a flight of stairs and into another large room where another battle was raging on. "I summon my Skull Knight". The skeleton with a strong sword and shield came to life and swung its blade at the enemies.

"It's good to have you here Arcturas. With you on our side, there's no way the dark priest can win", a soldier said. Arcturas nodded in acknowledgement. A man in a black robe came charging at him. Arcturas stood his staff on the ground.

"FINAL FLAME", he shouted. Flames roared from eyes of the cobra and engulfed the man. "RAIGEKI". Bolts of lightning branched out to all of the enemies, sending them to the ground. The warriors of the Pharoah cheered. "You men stay here. I'm going on alone". Arcturas took off running again through corridors, blasting away at intruders as he went. He came to a halt in front of two tall, wooden doors. There were spiraling designs painted on the doors. Arcturas slowly placed his hands on the door and pushed them open. The room was another large chamber. There wasn't any fighting going on, but it was full. Over a hundred figures in black cloaks stood facing Arcturas.

"Finally, we are graced by the presence of the seventh guardian", one of them said loud enough for his voice to echo throughout the chamber.

"I suggest you move out of my way", Arcturas said coldly. His grip on the staff tightened and his free hand curled into a fist. The men in cloaks moved around uneasily, waiting for a chance to pounce. Arcturas sighed and slammed his staff onto the floor. "CHAIN ENERGY!" he shouted. Golden halos whipped from the eyes of the staff, pinning the cloaked enemies to the walls.

"DOUBLE SPELL!" cried someone from the other end of the chamber. Arcturas's staff was wrenched from his hand and pinned against the wall. Arcturas looked at two figures standing opposite him. One was another man in a black cloak. But the person standing next to him wore a white robe.

"We've been waiting for you seventh guardian. Our commander told us to let you through to him. But the dark priest doesn't want you anywhere near the throne room". Arcturas raised his left arm, revealing his ancient duel disk and the others did the same.

"How does 4000 sound to you guys. I'll take you both on at once with double life points". The mens' shoulders shuddered as they laughed.

"Fine, but you'll never be able to take on the two of us". Arcturas closed his eyes and a black cloud leaked out from the Millenium Medallion. Purple balls of light floated around behind him. Six of them flew in front of him and formed stone slabs with pictures carved into them. The one in white laughed.

"Are you ready Akiraka? I'll go first for our team". He closed his eyes and black balls of light floated behind him. Five formed slabs and landed in front of him.

Arcturas looked over his choices. "Spirit Release, summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000). Then I hide a tablet". The light in his duel disk lowered a bit. The green genie floated out of the stone slab. One of the stones laid down with its carved side on the floor. "Go".

The man in the white robe examined each slab carefully. "Spirit Release, summon Sangan (A1000, D1000). Then I hide one tablet". He looked over at his teammate.

"A sloppy opening move Shoutaku", he said with a grin. Shoutaku grinned back.

"Just make your move Akiraka". Akiraka nodded his head.

"Spirit Release, Agent of Force-Mars (A0, D0) in defense mode. And I too hide one tablet and I use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your masked tablet". A bolt of lightning struck from the tablet and blasted the face down stone. "I end my turn".

Arcturas watched as another ball of light floated in front of him and landed, forming another stone. "Spirit Release, summon my own Sangan". Another ball of fur with three orange eyes jumped from inside the stone. "Then I use my Brain Control spell. I pay 800 points of my life energy to take your Sangan for one turn. I send all three of them to attack Shoutaku". The Sangan twins leapt at Shoutaku while the genie fired a ray of magic at him.

"Reveal hidden spell, Widespread Ruin", Shoutaku cried as the image carved into his stone bled through to the top.

"And I use my Sakuretsu Armor". Arcturas held his arms up as the tablets in front of him were blown to pieces and shards of rock fell around him.

"I end my turn. But because you killed my Sangan, I get to bring a weak fiend to my hand". A black ball of light landed in front of Shoutaku.

"Spirit Release, summon Goblin Elite Attack Force (A2200, D1500)". The armored goblins formed in a row facing Arcturas. "Attack him directly my monsters". The legion of goblins and the ball of fur hit Arcturas and jumped away. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 4800LP

Shoutaku- 4000LP

Akiraka- 4000LP

Akiraka let a white ball of light form another stone before making his next move. "I feel out of place in this dark arena. So I'll use my Sanctuary in the Sky to change the field". White clouds filled the room and a large house rose with blinding light around it. "Spirit Release, summon Mystical Shine Ball (A500, D500). Attack him". The ball rammed into Arcturas's stomach and scurried away. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 4300LP

Shoutaku- 4000LP

Akiraka- 4000LP

Arcturas watched his stone form. "Alright then, Spirit Release, summon Giant Germ (A1000, D100). Attack Sangan". The purple virus monster assimilated the fiend and exploded. "Because my monster was destroyed, you both take 500 points of damage. Then I get to special summon two more germs and have them attack Akiraka's monsters". The other two germs destroyed both of the fairy monsters.

"Too bad you won't hurt me. Since my Sanctuary in the Sky is our battlefield, I do not take any damage as long as I have a fairy monster on the field". Arcturas sighed and put a set a finger on his duel disk and three purple balls of light came out and faded away.

"I remove the three monsters you destroyed to special summon the Dark Necrofear (A2200, D2800). I end my turn". Arcturas released the blue, bald woman. Her very being turned the nearby clouds dark.

Arcturas- 4300LP

Shoutaku- 3500LP

Akiraka- 3500LP

Shoutaku's rock rose from the ground. "Spirit Release, summon another Goblin Elite Attack Force". Another set of goblins lined up next to the original ones. "I'll send one of my goblin forces to destroy your Dark Necrofear and another to destroy one of your germs. I end my turn". Arcturas's monsters were blown to pieces as well as one of the goblin legions.

Arcturas- 3100LP

Shoutaku- 3000LP

Akiraka- 3000LP

A black aura formed around the remaining Goblin Elite Attack Force. "Once my Necrofear hits the graveyard, it takes control of one of your monsters". Shoutaku looked desperately at Akiraka.

"Don't worry, I have this". Another rock materialized before him. "I'll hide one my monsters in defense mode. Then I use my Giant Trunade spell to return your Dark Necrofear to your hand and return Shoutaku's goblins to him. I end my Turn".

Arcturas formed another tablet. "My Nobleman of Crossout spell will get rid of your hidden monster". A tiny woman with purple hair shrieked and was destroyed.

"That was my Magician of Faith. Now if either of you has one, it is gone as well'. Arcturas sighed as another one of his lights went out.

"I'll continue. Spirit Release, summon Dark Necrofear. I'll send both of my monsters to attack Akiraka", the seventh guardian stated. The man in black robes took the direct hits and collapsed to the ground. The white clouds were replaced by black ones and the sanctuary disappeared. "I end my turn".

Arcturas- 3100LP

Shoutaku- 3000LP

Akiraka- 0LP

Shoutaku was furious. "You'll pay for sealing my brother away in the Shadow Realm. I pay 800 points of my life energy to bring back my other Goblin Elite Attack Force. Then I'll call my Scapegoats to fill up my monster spaces. Try getting to me now. Then I'll hide a spell. Then I'll have my goblin attack your final germ. I end my turn".

Arcturas- 1900LP

Shoutaku- 1700LP

Akiraka- 0LP

Arcturas didn't take his eyes off Shoutaku when his tablet formed. "I hide one spell. Spirit Release, summon Archfiend Soldier (A1900, D1500). Dark Necrofear, attack one of his goblins". The Necrofear blasted a wave of darkness at the goblins who, in response, threw a spear at the dark monster. "Next I'll destroy one of your goats with my Archfiend Soldier". The purple demon waved its cape over its face and disappeared. It reappeared behind the goat and pulled it into its cloak. The monster reappeared back in its position in front of Arcturas. "I end my turn".

Shoutaku's other army of monsters was possessed by the Dark Necrofear. "I activate my Dust Tornado to destroy your Dark Necrofear and to free my monsters. Then I sacrifice them to a stronger monster. Spirit Release, The End of Anubis (A2500, D0)". A purple jackal appeared from the darkness. "This monster makes the graveyard off limits. So your Dark Necrofear is useless. You can't win without your signature monster". Arcturas merely looked at the monster as if it were no more significant than the 1000 Eyes Idol. "End of Anubis, attack his soldier".

"Reveal hidden trap, Magic Cylinder". The monster's attack was reflected back into him and he collapsed to the floor and the black cloud filled back into the Millenium Medallion. He looked about the room and saw the bodies still pinned against the walls. "I promise to kill your leader. Vincent Frost will be joining you shortly", he shouted. Darkness washed over the room for a few seconds and when it was gone, Arcturas was the only person left in it. He held his hand up to the staff and it flew to him. He took off running through the chamber and into the next room.

_'I'm running low on life energy. I don't think I can lose another monster'_, he thought. There was a loud slam behind him. He looked back to see a small army of people dressed in black rushing him. _'Please hold_'. He slammed the staff into the rock, lodging it in place. "WALL OF REVEALING LIGHT!" A wall of golden light rose from the ground and sealed off the entrance to the room. He turned and kept running. He slid into a small closet-like room and cut a rope. On the wall. The room went into a free fall, like an elevator. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.

_'Millenium Medallion, show me what lies between me and the Pharaoh', _he thought. The Millenium Medallion let out a golden glow and his head was filled with images. He saw through the floor of the room and made a left turn into a long hallway. A few feet into the hallway was a man in black robes. Beyond him was a set of doors. He looked after the doors and saw two men in black robes standing behind a third man. Opposing them were six people, both men and women, in priest robes. Each one of them bore a golden item. Behind them was a seventh person. He had purple hair that stuck up like a star behind blonde streaks in the front. His eyes were a stunning shade of purple, but the were reflecting cruelty. He was dressed in blue silk robes. There was golden jewelry with gems perfectly placed in the gold.

"Pharaoh Atem, why must you insult me in such a manor? And where is your seventh guardian? I wish to eradicate all of you at once", the dark clad man in the front asked. The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes at the men.

Artcuras opened his eyes when the room crashed into the floor. He kicked the door open and ran through the small passageway and stopped directly before the long hallway. _'There is only one more intruder between me and Frost. As soon as I take this guy out, then I'll rid this world of the dark priest. I just wish this intruder were someone else_'. He turned the corner. He faced the intruder. The hallway's torches were out, leaving the hallway blacked out.

"So, I was right. The Pharaoh has decided to give his Relic of Darkness to you. I must ask you to reconsider". The intruder opened his hand to reveal a golden rectangle with rounded edges and two small L-shaped pieces going off at one end. "The Pharaoh is in grave danger and if you accept what he plans to give you, than you will putting yourself into peril as well. I don't want anything to happen to you, Guardian Seven. As you can see, I too have a Relic of Darkness". The figure withdrew his hand and took a golden chain that held the piece of gold in his hands and placed it around the neck of his hood. His voice was deep and raspy.

A purple light filled Arcturas's eyes, allowing him to see through the dark. His opponent had a dark red beard under his cloak. There was a stitched scar on his left cheek. Arcturas couldn't see anymore of his face under the hood. But he could sense the life energy coming off of the man in black. And that was all he needed to make and identification. The man put the piece of gold around his neck and the torches sparked fires.

"What makes you so sure that I am going to receive the Pharaoh's Relic of Darkness", Arcturas asked. "I appreciate your concern, but I must do my duty and protect my king. I was assigned to keep Pharaoh Atem safe when I was given my Relic of Darkness", he said. He held up his right arm with a pointing finger. "I can't believe that you would even consider that I should abandon his majesty. You know just as well as I do that he is at risk of the three. You heard the message".

The man's mouth dropped to a discouraged expression. "Yes, I was there when the message came to Pharaoh Atem". His voice wasn't as deep now, but softer. "And that's exactly why you must not go see the Pharaoh. Croan, Moze, and Frost are far too powerful for even all of the guardians' power. Not even the Pharaoh's three mighty allies can stop their monsters. The Pharaoh is going to die tonight no matter what". When he finished, his piece of gold illuminated again.

Arcturas's hands were now clenched into fists. "You sicken me. The Pharaoh needs our help Flare, and all you can think of is how we are going to die. Strong as their monsters are, we have to fulfill our promises made to the Pharaoh when we became guardians", he shouted. He raised his right fist to show a black aura flowing around it. "Now you can either move out of my way so I may protect Pharaoh Atem, or I will move you myself".

The cloaked man held up a hand of his own. But his fingers were spread slightly. "If you insist on protecting the Pharaoh", he said grimly, "then I am afraid that this is where I kill you Guardian Seven". He held his hand forward and a red aura showed where it was in the shadowy corridor. The aura spiraled forward and struck the ground, revealing a purple creature with bones covering its body. Its head was a large skull with horns pointing down and it also had large claws. "Rocho came buy here as well. As you can see, he didn't make it to the Pharaoh either". The monster spread the blue wings on its back.

"You bastard! Rocho wasn't even a guardian. So, the Second Guardian was right, you really have sworn your loyalty to the dark priest Vincent Frost", the guardian of the Pharaoh muttered as he extended his fist. The black aura around his hand spiraled just like the red one. The monster that appeared was a blue-skinned human. A dark blue hat that bent backward to form horns had red designs and rested upon its long, black hair. The clothes in which the monster was dressed matched the hat in color but had less designs. "This is the monster that has protected the Pharaoh from countless attacks. Behold its awesome power". The monster held out its gloved hands and created a black scepter. It swung the scepter around like baton before smacking it against the ground and creating a large black orb of electricity.

"Your monster is powerful, but I am still too strong for it to beat. Rocho's monster isn't a weak creature like most others", the hooded man said. The creature that had armor crafted from bones raised its claws and lightning ran through them. "This creature is one of the monsters chosen by the Pharaoh to protect him in the next life. Attack him beast of Rocho", he ordered.

The lightning flew from the claws of Rocho's former monster and struck Arcturas's monster. "Try all you like. My monster is the first in line to protect the Pharaoh in the next life. Observe his great strength". His voice echoed through the slightly lit corridor. His monster (The Magician of Black Chaos) broke the wave of electricity and fired the orb of black electricity at the monster in front of the intruder (Summoned Skull). The attack forced the torches in the hallway to go out again as it flew through the small passageway. It crashed into the Summoned Skull and blasted it to pieces.

The man in the cloak began to laugh. "I hope you don't think that my monster will be anywhere as weak as Rocho's was", he said. He formed another red aura around his hand. "My monster is more than capable of killing you Seventh Guardian". The red aura spiraled from his hand and crashed into the ground. The light from his glowing piece of gold vanished as a monster masked by the darkness formed in front of him.

The guardian looked up at ten glowing red eyes glaring down at him. "Wha… what is that?" he stuttered. All he heard was the echo of his enemy's maniacal laughter as his monster was destroyed by an unseen attack. Arcturas collapsed to his knees, his eyes in a blank gaze. His torso fell toward the ground as the golden object around his neck burst into ten pieces and his body disappeared.

Arcturas blinked and snapped out of his trance. _'Arcturas, are you listening. I asked if you wanted to get in one of these duels. You haven't had much action since we were in L.A.'_, Darren offered.

'_Oh sorry. I was just thinking. No thank you. This is your tournament. Why who is your next match against_?_' _he asked.

"I don't know. I'm still waiting for everyone else to finish". Darren stretched and yawned. "Well then, I guess I'll just do all the dueling from now on", he joked. Arcturas's laugh came to his ears.

'_It's sad that he can only remember that. I wasn't even born and I know more about what happened_', Cairo thought as he walked away from an arena. A duelist lay motionless as medics rushed over to check him. _'The poor guardian. But he mustn't worry, I'll put him out of his miser soon enough_'.

**And here ends the first dueless chapter since the beginning. If anyone doesn't like this chapter I'm sorry. I think I rushed through it and I'm pretty sure it shows. And I know the duel sucks. But I felt some of Arcturas's background story needed to get out before I end this saga. Also, Arcturas's deck is the deck I use in real life. **


	17. Guardian Force Ancient Gear Fear

Stronger than Death 

Darren stood up and stretched his legs. _"I must be getting better. I don't remember having to wait this long after any of my other duels'_. He looked around. Most of the duels were finished. He noticed the life point counters were close to zero. He yawned and looked up on the wall at a clock. _'There's still a half hour left in the round. I guess I am getting better'_. Darren watched as the last monsters were blasted to pieces.

_'Ah, it's about time. I was just about to take a nap'_.

'_Well you might want to shake yourself awake. You'll be dueling again soon'_, Arcturas reminded. Darren stretched out again. He looked up at the monitor. A digital clock was on the screen counting down five minutes.

'_Oh cool. They're giving us intermissions now'._ The five minutes counted down and the monitor lit up with names again. Darren didn't find his name in time to see who he was up against.

"Turn and face me Darren". Darren whipped himself around to see his opponent. A tall, very wide man looked over him. His perfectly round head was completely bald. He had greedy eyes and a lustful smile. His neck wasn't visible but unlike most people his size, he didn't have extra chins. He wore a long black overcoat over his clothes. He was dressed in a white T-shirt that exposed his large gut and dark green cargo jeans. Black mountain climbing boots were strapped to his feet. He had black tear tattoos under his left eye. His bare hands looked badly scarred. Tied over his shoulder was a big sword. Darren had a hard time taking his focus from the weapon. The duel disk on the man's arm looked like a mere bracelet.

Darren bent backward to see the man's face. He recognized the man from somewhere and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. _'FUCK!'_

"I know you! You're the world champion duelist from last aren't you. Vandal Roscoh, right", Darren said nervously.

"Indeed. And soon I'll be the world champion this year. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get this duel underway". Darren took a few steps back to get the man entirely into view. The man slipped six cards from the top of his deck. "I set one monster face down in defense mode. Then I set one card face down. I end my turn". The cards were tiny among the man's massive fingers. He laid them gently on the duel disk and the brown backs formed on the field.

Darren drew his cards. "I summon Blast Magician (A1400, D1700) in attack mode". Darren's sorcerer in red rushed to the field. It spawned a ball of fire which stretched and hardened into its scythe. "Attack his face down monster with Magic Blast". The wizard pointed its scythe at the face down card and a fireball flew across the field at the card.

"Reveal trap card, Sakuretsu Armor". The fireball vanished as a green, smoking suit of armor formed over the Blast Magician and exploded. "I hope you didn't think you would be able to hit my monsters so easily".

'_I wish it were easy'_, Darren thought. "I set one card face down and end my turn", he said.

Vandal drew his next card. "I flip up my face down Arsenal Summoner (A1600, D1600) and when I do so, its effect activates. I'm allowed to search my deck for a monster with 'guardian' in its name and move it to my hand". He pulled out the deck and spread every card out at once. It only took him a second to see the card he wanted and returning the rest to the deck slot. "I chose my Guardian Baou". He held up the card for Darren to see. "Now to continue with my turn. I equip my Arsenal Summoner with Shooting Starbow- Ceal". The strange bow flashed into existence and was grabbed by the summoner. "And because my Starbow is on the field, I can now summon Guardian Ceal (A1700, D1400)". A brilliant star constructed itself from data bits and when the light faded, a grotesque red beast was glaring at Darren. "And because Arsenal Summoner is equipped with the Starbow, it receives a 1000 point power bonus as well as the ability to attack your life points directly. Not that it needs the effect with your field wide open". Darren looked worriedly at his bare field. "Arsenal Summoner, attack his life points directly with Shooting Starbow". The man in dark blue robes opened its hand and an arrow headed with a star formed. He loaded the bow and pulled the arrow back and fired. The arrow flew directly at Darren, picking up speed as it went until a spiraling rift opened in front of it and absorbed the arrow.

"Reveal face down card, Negate Attack". The purple card flipped up and shattered. "This not only stops your attack".

"It ends my battle phase, I know. I'm not some punk amateur. I'm the world famous Guardian Duelist. I will crush you kid". Vandal's face lightened up. "I end my turn". Darren was watching the man carefully. It looked like he had a hot temper and Darren didn't want to provoke him.

_'Maybe if I let him win, he might not break my legs'_, he thought. _'I especially don't want to face a Guardian deck. I've seen what those things can do'_,

_//Flashback//_

_Darren looked up a tall dueling arena at his old middle school. The kind that were used in the Duelist Kingdom tournament. On one field was an ugly dinosaur looking monster. It stood on two legs and wielded a wide battle ax. On the other field was dark blue dragon with three golden horns on its head. Behind the dragon stood a determined Blaine. He looked straight across the field at his opponent. And adult with he was short_ _and had short brown hair. He had dark brown eyes. He wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans. _

_"I thought you would put up more of a fight Bob, after all you are a regional champion. I guess your Guardian deck just isn't what it used to be", Blaine mocked. _

_"Oh don't worry kid, I'll give you a fight", the man responded. _

_"We'll see. I end my turn by activating my Final Flame magic card, to burn off 600 of your life points". Bob's life point meter chimed as it counted down. _

_Blaine- 700LP_

_Bob- 1100LP_

_"Don't think I've forgotten about your Megamorph. I know that as long as I have more life points than you, your Tri-Horned Dragon's attack points are doubled. But that equip card isn't going to win this for you when I have the most powerful equip cards in the game. I activate Guardian Arsenal. For the cost of 1000 life points and one of each of my Guardians, I can equip every guardian weapon to my Grarl. Now then, he already has the Gravity Axe, so I arm him with Butterfly Dagger, Shooting Starbow, Wicked Breaking Flamberge, Rod of Silence, Twin Swords of Flashing LIght and Spirit Sword". Blaine looked in disbelief at the monster's attack points. "Now Guardian Grarl, attack his monster". The dinosaur cut through the dragon with its ax. "And because my monster has the Twin Swords, it can attack twice". The dinosaur raised its hand with a bent sword and struck Blaine's life points. _

_"No! Blaine!", Darren shouted. _

_"This game belongs to me". Bob said. The lifts let them both down and Bob walked away. Blaine stepped off with his head down. _

_"Don't worry about it Blaine, it's just one loss", Darren said._

_Blaine looked up at him. "Yeah, you're right. Here, I have this", he said holding out a card. Darren gasped when he looked at it._

_"The Tri-Horned Dragon, but this is your best card. Why?"_

_"It doesn't help me anymore. Maybe you can make better use of it", Blaine suggested. He turned and began to walk away._

_//End Flashback//_

Darren shook himself out of his daydream and looked down at his hand. "That Arsenal Summoner's nothing I can't handle. I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000) in attack mode". Breaker swung his sword and landed next to Darren. Its red aura radiated from the sword. "Breaker, destroy the Starbow". Breaker raised its sword and let the stream of red energy crash into the bow and destroyed it. "I set one card face down and end my turn".

Vandal drew his next card. "I discard Maha Vailo from my hand to equip Guardian Ceal with the Wicked Breaking Flamberge- Baou". Ceal roared and held up a long, wide sword. "Now I summon Guardian Baou (A800, D400)". The demonic guardian grinned at Darren, revealing sharp blue teeth. "Arsenal Summoner, attack his Magical Warrior". The cloaked man jammed a sharp, green stone into Breaker. But before the warrior in red was destroyed, it swung its sword down on its attacker. "Now attack his life points directly my Guardians". The two other monsters hit Darren, knocking him to the ground. "I end my turn by activating Reload. This lets me shuffle my hand into my deck and draw cards equal to the ones I put in". He slipped the cards in and quickly shuffled his deck before drawing two cards.

Vandal- 8000LP

Darren- 5000LP

Darren drew a new card. "I set one card face down. Then I summon my Apprentice Magician (A400, D800) in defense mode. I end my turn".

Arcturas stood in the halls of Darren's mind, mentally watching the duel. _'I too have a connection with those Guardians. I remember reading in that book that the original guardians of the Pharaoh all possessed weapons of great power. These monsters are like my ancestors. I succeeded them in my time. The seven of them. Before the Millenium Items came to be, the Pharaoh was protected the ones who wielded the divine weapons. Fearsome Baou, Cunning Ceal, Beautiful Elma, Mighty Grarl, Wise Kay'est, Courageous Tryce, and Virtuous Eyeatos._

_They had a shrine built for them in the grand temple where their weapons were on display. Supposedly, no guardian could ever be defeated so long as they were in the shrine. I guess it would have been smart to keep Atem there instead'_.

Vandal drew his card and looked at his unequipped Baou. "Don't worry my friend, you'll be safe soon. I activate my Fairy of the Spring magic card to move one equip card to my hand from my graveyard. Next I equip Baou with the Shooting Starbow- Ceal and Gravity Axe- Grarl, increasing him to 2300". Baou shrieked as its nearly tripled in size. "And now because it's the only card in my hand and its weapon is on the field, I summon Guardian Grarl (A2500, D1000). It's time to finish this. Attack his magician, Grarl". Grarl jumped into the air and slammed its mighty fist through the tiny spellcaster. "Now attack his life points directly my other guardians".

"Reveal face down card, Really Eternal Rest". Baou and Ceal dropped their weapons and grasped their throats. They dropped to the ground and tried to breathe, but to no avail. The two monsters shattered into pieces.

"A trap that destroys equip cards, a good move", Vandal said coldly. He raised his right hand and pointed to Darren. "Your move". Darren drew his card.

"I summon Neo the Mystic Swordsman (A1700, D1000) in defense mode. Then I set one card face down". The warrior with long blonde hair knelt down on the field. A face down card materialized next to him. "I end my turn".

Vandal drew his card. "I set one card face down". He looked at Darren, then to the face down card. _'I can't risk it if he has a trap. If I lose Grarl, then I have nothing defending me. I'll have to wait'._ "I end my turn".

Darren drew his card. _'Whew, he fell for it_'. He quickly looked over his hand. "I sacrifice Neo for my Summoned Skull (A2500, D1200)". The skeleton demon formed in a flash of lightning. "And I'll flip up my face down magic card, Spell Absorption. Now every time one of us activates a magic card, I gain 500 life points. Attack his face down monster with Lightning Strike". The skull lashed a bolt of electricity from its claws and blasted the face down monster.

"That was my Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu. When he's flipped up, I get to bring one equip card from my deck to my hand". He slipped his deck out again and pulled out a card. "I brought the Rod of Silence- Kay'est".

_'Great, another one. I wish I knew what these cards did_', Darren thought. _'When I get home, I'm gonna research every card in the game._ He Vandal straight in the eyes. "I end my turn".

Vandal drew his card. "I equip my Guardian Grarl with the Rod of Silence- Kay'est to increase his attack points to 3000. And now he's immune to magic cards. Plus, as an added bonus I can now summon Guardian Kay'est (A1000, D1800). Guardian Grarl, attack his Summoned Skull". Grarl raised the majestic Rod of Silence over its head and smashed the demon. "And Guardian Kay'est, attack his life points directly". The mermaid Guardian punched Darren in the face. "I end my turn".

Vandal- 8000LP

Darren- 3800LP

Darren drew his card. "I remove Breaker and Neo from my graveyard to special summon my Chaos Sorcerer (A2300, D2000)". Vandal gasped and his eyes widened. "Your Grarl may be safe from magic cards, but not from monster effects. Chaos Sorcerer, activate your special ability". The sorcerer made a ball of dark light and fired it at Guardian Grarl, consuming it and disappearing. "My monster removes yours from the game. But it can't attack, so I end my turn".

Vandal drew his card. "Activate magic card, Hidden Book of Spell. I'm now allowed to move two equip cards from my graveyard to my deck". Two cards flew out of his graveyard slot. "I return the Rod of Silence and Shooting Starbow. Then I switch Kay'est to defense mode and end my turn".

Vandal- 8000LP

Darren- 4300LP

Darren slipped his card off the top of his deck. "I summon my Mythical Beast Cerberus (A1400, D1400). Mythical Beast, attack Kay'est". The two headed dog pounced at the mermaid and when the its mouth was just inches away from taking a bite out of it, the dog stopped and retreated. "Wha…what's going on?" Darren asked. Vandal started laughing.

"It's Kay'est's special effect. It is immune to all magic cards and can't be attacked. Kay'est is the greatest at defense when it comes to the Guardians".

Darren watched his monster bow its head. "Chaos Sorcerer, remove the monster from play". Kay'est was hit with a sphere of darkness. "I end my turn".

Vandal drew his card and a look of relief sat on his bald head. "I activate my Dire Risk magic card. As long as I have no monsters in my hand or on my field, I discard cards from the top of my deck until I draw a monster. I then special summon one monster for each card discarded from the top of my deck". He drew one card and revealed it to Darren. "Gravity Axe- Grarl goes to the Graveyard". He drew another card. "Next to go is Shooting Starbow- Ceal". He drew another card. "I set one monster face down on defense mode". He drew another card. "Because I've drawn a monster, this card goes to my hand". He picked up a fifth card. "And I'll set this card face down. "Now, I activate my Hammer Shot magic card to destroy your Chaos Sorcerer".

The dark clothed man looked up to see a giant mallet come crashing down on it. "So is that it for your Dire Risk card?" Darren asked. Vandal grinned.

"Yes, but I'm not finished my turn. Since they were special summoned", he said, pointing at his face down card, "I can flip them up and activate their special abilities". The two monsters flipped up. "Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu and Arsenal Summoner pull a Guardian and an equip card to my hand. "Now form my summon. I equip Arsenal Summoner with Spirit Sword- Eyatos". A feathery sword rested in the monsters hand and white, feathered wings sprouted from its back. "Now I sacrifice both of my monsters for Guardian Eyatos (A2700, D2200)".

Arcturas' eyes shot wide open and his pupils grew wide as he fell into a trance. Darren's eyes became the same way. They felt like they were falling through a whirlpool, but not getting wet. Wind and sand were rushing past them. They looked in front of them and saw an impending shadow quickly grow. It washed over them and everything was dark.

The two of them looked around. There was no sign of light anywhere. They were in total darkness. Darren held his hand up to his face, but couldn't make it out. "Arcturas, this isn't your average everyday darkness. This is advanced darkness", he said. He spread his hands out and walked straight, feeling for anything in his way. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"No, I'm afraid not", Arcturas responded. Darren felt coarse, flat stones against his hand. He rubbed the stones and they crumbled in his hands.

"I feel something. It feels like a wall of stones, but it keeps wearing away as I touch it". Golden light shot into Darren's eyes from below. He looked down at the shimmering Millenium Medallion. He turned around to see a fully solid Arcturas standing in his purple robes. His wild, long black hair stuck out in each direction. Arcturas looked at the golden object. Flames erupted from torches hanging on the walls. The walls were made of stones forged of sand. The flames revealed seven glass cases running from the ceiling to the floor. In each case was a weapon, as if on display. "These are the weapons that the Guardian monsters use". Arcturas looked at each case. The two of them head footsteps and turned to look down a hallway. In walked six people in white robes and a seventh in dark purple. The seventh was Arcturas, only he had a very mournfully pissed off look on his face. In his right hand was a long golden staff with a cobra head top. On each of their left wrists were ancient duel disks. All of them bore what looked to Darren like Millenium Items. They were talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Well today's your big day Arcturas. Pharaoh Atem is to name you the Seventh Guardian. And rightly so. If hadn't been for that black angel you summoned, the entire kingdom would have been destroyed", said an older man. One of his eyes had been replaced with a golden one. The angry Arcturas nodded his head. He didn't look at any of the others.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Arcturas", a dark-haired girl with a golden necklace said. "There were no wrong choices. A life was going to be lost either way. If you had saved your parents, Vulcan Flare would be dead. He owes his life to you". Arcturas winced when the woman mentioned his parents.

"You acted bravely. Most people wouldn't have been able to save another's life. You should be proud of yourself. I'm sure your parents are proud of you in the next life". Arcturas clenched a fist. He looked up at the majestic sword in front of him.

"But Eyatos could have, couldn't he?" Arcturas asked. Darren looked over at the Arcturas he knew. He had a mournful look of remembrance on his face. The old man shook his head.

"Don't expect to do everything Eyatos could. He was one of the first guardians. No one was ever able to defeat him. He is to this day the greatest guardian to have ever lived".

"So is that a yes?" Arcturas asked. The other guardians lowered their eyes. One of them holding a scepter like object looked annoyed.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Your lucky to have even known your parents. I had to grow up without anyone", he shouted.

"Seto, control yourself", the woman protested.

"No. Arcturas is a guardian now. Your soul purpose in life now is to protect the Pharaoh". Arcturas looked at Seto and the mournfulness in his eyes disappeared. More footsteps could be heard approaching. In walked a short man with spiky gray hair. Next to him was another younger man who was masked by shadows due to the lack of light. Hanging from his neck was a golden pyramid hanging upside down. The seven guardians bowed as he entered the room.

"Rise my friends. Since you were not able to be at my crowning, I'll tell you. I do not want anyone bowing when I enter the room. We are all people here". Darren looked at his Arcturas and noticed he too was down on one knee. "You all know why I have called you here". He looked at the serious faces of the other seven people.

"Arcturas, what's going on?" Darren asked. Arcturas did not reply. The Pharaoh walked to the other Arcturas.

"Because of the power you wield as well as your loyalty to the kingdom, your bravery, and your nobility, you Arcturas are hereby known as Arcturas the Seventh Guardian". The short old man handed him the Millenium Medallion. The Pharaoh put it around Arcturas's neck. "With this Millenium Medallion, you are gifted with the powers and responsibilities of the Shadow Realm". Arcturas's face lightened.

"Thank you my Pharaoh". He bowed his head.

The Pharaoh laughed. "I told you not to bow to me". Arcturas lifted his head. "Come, there is a feast in the grand chambers". The nine of them all walked out down the hallway. Darren walked over to Arcturas. But before either of them could say anything, the world became very hazy.

Darren blinked a few times and when his vision came back into focus, he was standing opposite of Vandal and Guardian Eyatos. "Now for your demise child", Vandal's voce boomed. "Eyatos, attack his dog". The eagle warrior slashed through the dog with its sword. "I end my turn".

Vandal- 8000LP

Darren- 3000LP

Darren drew his next card. "I reveal my face down Return From Different Dimension trap card. For half of my life points, I get to special summon up to five monsters removed from play". Breaker and Neo reappeared on the field. Next I summon Walker the Magical Warrior (A2600, D2200)". Walker looked like Neo in Breaker's armor without the helmet and the armor was dark blue. He held a sword with a blue aura in one hand and a shield in the other. "Next I activate my Contract with Dark Ruler. I discard the rest of my hand to special summon one Ritual monster from my deck as long as I remove monsters from my graveyard who equal its stars. So I'll remove Breaker and Neo to summon the Magician of Black Chaos (A2800, D2600). Walker, blast Eyatos with your special effect". The blue aura turned red and Walker fired it at the winged Guardian. "Now your monster is 1000 points weaker. Walker, attack". Walker blasted the blue aura through Vandal's monster. "I end my turn with an attack from the Magician of Black Chaos. Chaos Scepter Blast!" The black ball of lightning crashed into Vandal.

Vandal- 4300LP

Darren- 1500LP

Vandal drew his card. "I activate my Guardian Shrine field card". Arcturas mentally gasped. "So long as this cards exists on the field, none of my monsters can be destroyed in battle. And if I have no monsters on my field when it's played, I get one Guardian Token (A400, D400). And the best part about it is that it can attack you directly". The little rat monster with a small sword scurried across the field, passed Darren's monsters and stabbed Darren in the foot. "I end my turn".

Vandal- 4300LP

Darren- 1100LP

Darren rested two fingers on his deck and took a deep breath. '_Darren wait! Let me take this one'_, Arcturas called out.

_'Are you sure'_, Darren asked.

_'Yeah. I remember that one thing that always bothered me was if I was the strongest Guardian and I think this might be the only way I'll ever know_'.

_'Right!._ Darren closed his eyes and the Millenium Medallion lit up. Darren's hair was replaced with long black locks that suck out everywhere. And his gray eyes turned into black pools. Vandal was speechless.

"What is this?" he asked. Arcturas drew his card and points his duel disk arm at Vandal.

"Don't mind that, we have a duel to finish", he said. A small black orb fell into his deck. "Now then, I end my turn".

Vandal drew one card. "I set one monster face down in defense mode. I end my turn". As the brown card emerged from the floor of the shrine, the small rat withered away.

Arcturas drew his card. "I activate my Charity magic card to draw three more cards". He slipped three cards out of his deck. "Now go".

Vandal drew a card and placed his fingers on his face down card. "I flip up my face down Arsenal Jar (A800, D800). When it's flipped up, every monster on my side of the field is destroyed and I get to draw five cards from my deck. I then get to special summon every four star or lower monster". Vandal picked up five cards. "Excellent. I play Guardian Ceal (A1700, D1400), Guardian Elma (A1300, D1200), Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu (A500, D500), Maha Vailo (A1550, D1400), and Guardian Baou (A800, D400)". The monsters rose out of the floor. "Now I have an army of monsters that can't be destroyed. You might as well give up". Arcturas gave him a "dream on" grin. "I'll beat you yet boy. Take your turn".

Arcturas drew his card. "Don't get too excited". He looked down at his card. "I activate my De-Fusion magic card. This will split Walker back into its original parts. Now I sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon Thanatos the Black Angel (A4500, D4000) in attack mode". The looming reaper filled most of the shrine.

In another part of the world, Cairo stood still. "What is this that I feel? It feels like a deathly, malevolent force. But it also feels as though it is used to destroy darkness. What could this be?"

Somewhere else, Andy Jones prepared for a duel. "Whoa, I just got the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Like Some weird protector that I've seen before has just appeared from nowhere".

And in another corner of the globe, a teenage boy with jagged red hair opened his crimson eyes. "So, it's finally been awoken in the human plane. It's just a matter of time".

Vandal stared at the monster before smirking himself. "Your monster is powerful. In fact, it's the strongest monster I've ever seen. But still, my monsters are safe in the shrine. So to tell you the truth, I'm not worried". Arcturas nodded his head.

"We'll see. I end my turn". Vandal drew his card.

"I activate my Different Dimension Capsule. I pull on card out of my deck and remove it from play. Then in two turns, it comes to my hand". The capsule appeared on the field and opened up. "I'll drop my Brave Attack card in it. What it does is I get to have all of my monsters attack one of yours and if their total attack is greater, than your monster is destroyed. Usually my monsters are destroyed too, but my shrine will prevent that. I end my turn".

Arcturas drew his card. "Darn, sill nothing. I guess you can go", he said.

Vandal drew his card. "Only one more turn and I'll get my Brave Attack card. But I have nothing this turn, so go".

Darren drew his card. "There we go. I activate my Stray Lambs magic card so I can special summon two Lamb Tokens. But they're just here for me to sacrifice for my Dark Magician (A2500, D2100). Next I activate my Dark Magic Attack card. This blasts away all of your magic and traps, including your shrine". Vandal looked around as the stone walls of the shrine dissipated. Everyone else now had a clear view of the arena and could see the giant reaper. "Next I activate my Gift of the Martyr. I sacrifice Thanatos to transfer its attack points to my Dark Magician. Then for my final card, I pay 1000 life points to activate my Diffusion Wave Motion. Now my Dark Magician can blast all of your monsters to pieces at once". The Dark Magician raised its staff and dark magic pulsated from it, eradicating all of Vandal's monsters.

"No, I can't lose. I'm the world champion", Vandal shouted. Darren resumed control of his body.

"Not anymore", he said proudly. Vandal stood up as tall as he could. Darren's pride suddenly turned into fear. Vandal pulled the sword from his back and swung it at Darren, stopping it only inches from his face.

"I see you've bested me. So I surrender my weapon to your", he said. He handed the blade to Darren

"Um, thank you", Darren said feeling relieved. He took the sword and watched as the giant man turned and walked away. '_Aw yeah, I beat the world champ. I'm the fuckin' man'. _He swung the sword around once and went to sit down in a chair. _'Thanks for the help Arcturas_'.

_'No, thank you for letting me prove myself'_' Darren sat down and patiently waited for the other duels to finish.

The boy with crimson eyes and red hair closed his eyes once more.

Cairo looked up at the sky. The golden eye on his forehead was gleaming and the tattoos on his body were giving off a golden glow as well. "It's gone. But…what was it?"

Andy sat at a table shuffling his deck. Other duelists were sitting at tables of their own, flipping through books of cards, laying cards out in front of them and looking through decks. _'Hm, must have just been my imagination_', he thought. _'Alright, my next opponent is Ness Crowler. Crowler…why does that name sound familiar?'_ He looked up to see the winner of the previous duel walk into the waiting room. "Well, I guess I'm up next". He sat in his chair for little longer until the announcer called for his name.

"**What an exciting duel that was. For our next match, we have Andy Jones and nephew of the head of the Obelisk Blue dorm at the Kaiba Corp Duel Academy, Ness Crowler**". The crowd exploded with applause.

"That's where I know that name from". Andy grabbed his duel disk and walked out of the room.

"Good luck Andy", one boy call from the other room.

"Yeah, good luck", called anther.

"You'll beat him for sure", came a girl's voice. A confidant smile spread on Andy's face. He walked up a flight of stairs. He looked around the stadium. There were hundreds of spectators surrounding him. Already on the field was Ness. His pale blonde hair was tied in a short ponytail. Purple makeup had been applied to his pale face.

"I hope you don't think you'll beat me just because your uncle is a good duelist. I'm going all the way to the top", Andy called across the field.

"Let's let our cards do the talking", Ness called back. The two of them gave their decks a quick shuffle and slid them into their duel disks. "I'll go first. I set one card face down. Them I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (A800, D2200). I end my turn". The gold and silver creation floated in front of Ness, spikes protruding from its arms.

Andy drew a sixth card. "I summon Elemental Hero Avian (A1000, D1000)". In a rush of feathers, a man covered in green with two tremendous wings stood heroically next to Andy. "Then I set one card face down and end my turn". Andy watched his opponents movements carefully.

Ness picked up one card. "My second monster is Red Gadget (A1300, D1500)". A small red mechanical monster with a large silver gear on its back assembled itself from machine parts. "Red Gadget, attack his Elemental Hero Avian", Ness commanded. The machine punched Avian with its tiny fist. "Now I'll have my Gear Golem attack your life points directly".

"Oh no you don't. When you destroy Avian, I activate Hero Signal to call out my Elemental Hero Bubbleman (A800, D1200). And when he's called to the field by himself, I get to draw two cards".

"To continue with my turn. Gear Golem, attack his life points directly". The lustrous machine moved its arms to its front, aiming the spikes at Andy.

"But how, I have a monster on the field?"

"For the cost of 800 life points, Gear Golem's special ability activates. I can have it attack from defense mode". Andy gasped and like a train, the golem flew at him, smashing him with the silver spikes. "And by the way, when I summon Red Gadget I can pull a Yellow Gadget from my deck to my hand". Ness searched his deck and pulled his card out. "I end my turn".

Ness- 7200LP

Andy- 6900LP

Andy drew a card. "I set one card face down and summon Sangan (A1000, D600). And I'll switch Bubbleman to defense mode, too. I end my turn".

Ness drew his card. "I summon my Green Gadget (A1400, D600) in attack mode". This gadget was green with a silver gear for its abdomen. "Attack his Bubbleman". The green monster punched Bubbleman, shattering the diver looking monster with a cape. "Now Red Gadget, attack Sangan".

"Reveal trap crard, A Hero Emerges". Ness looked uneasily at the card. "All you have to do is select one card in my hand randomly. If it's a monster than I get to special summon it". Ness looked over the backs of Andy's cards several times.

"Alright, the middle one". Andy grinned.

"And the card you chose was my Elemental Hero Neo Bubbleman (A800, D1200). And now I get to search my deck for a monster with less than 1500 attack from Sangan".

Ness didn't wait around for Andy. "I pay 800 more life points for Gear Golem to attack you again and end my turn". The golem rammed into Andy again.

Ness- 6400LP

Andy- 6100LP

Andy drew his card after shuffling his deck. "Alright, I activate my Premature Burial magic card. For 800 life points, I can bring one of my monsters back from the graveyard". Green and white feathers flew everywhere. And because Neo Bubbleman counts as a regular Bubbleman, I can play this, my Polymerization magic card. I fuse Avian, Bubbleman, and this Sparkman in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Tempest (A2800, D2800)". The fused hero flew from the sky on its falcon-like wings and aimed its bubble gun at the Gear Golem. "Attack". The jet stream of bubbles raced at the machine and destroyed it. "I end my turn".

Ness- 6400LP

Andy- 5300LP

Ness picked up a card. "And now I summon Yellow Gadget (A1200, D1200). I switch all three of my monsters to defense mode and reveal my face down trap card, Stronghold the Moving Fortress (A3000, D0).

"What?! How does a trap card have attack points?" Andy asked.

"It only does if I have all three of my gadgets on the field. But when this bad boy is out there, they can't be attacked. Now Stronghold, attack the Elemental Hero Tempest". The shaky machine slammed a brutal fist into the hero, causing it to burst into pieces. "I end my turn".

Ness- 6400LP

Andy- 5200LP

Andy drew his card. "That's a nice card. But everything has a weakness. And I've already found that thing's. I activate my Dark Factory of Mass Production to bring Avian and Sparkman to my hand. Next I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (A1500, D1600)". A Tarzan knock off with a boomerang style sword stared the Moving Fortess down. "Wildheart, attack his Red Gadget". The wild man hurled its sword at the red machine.

"It's no use. As long as Stronghold is on the field, you can't attack my gadgets". The boomerang cut through the red machine. "No, that's not possible. You must be cheating".

"Nope, Wildheart isn't affected by trap cards. So he doesn't have to obey the rules of your fortress". Ness bit his bottom lip. "Now I activate Polymerization to fuse it with Avian to summon Elemental Hero Wild Wingman (A1900, D2300). And now to activate its special effect. I discard Sparkman from my hand to destroy your Stronghold the Moving Fortress". Wild Wingman slashed through the rattled machine. "I end my turn".

"**What a move folks. Andy Jones has just pulled himself out a nearly impenetrable **

**lock**", the announcer boomed.

Ness drew his card. "it's time to swarm. I summon Ancient Gear (A100, D800) in defense mode. Next I activate my Machine Duplication to special summon two more from my deck". Three small identical machines assembled themselves. "Next I activate Ancient Gear Drill. I discard one card to bring a magic card to my hand and end my turn".

Andy drew a card. "I summon Jerry Beans Man (A1750, D0). Attack!" Both of Andy's monsters slashed through two of the Ancient Gears. "I end my turn".

Ness drew his card and twisted his face into a cruel grin. "I activate my Ancient Gear Castle field card". A stone castle with old cannons rose behind Ness. "Next I sacrifice Green Gadget and Ancient Gear to summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon (A3000, D2000)". The machine dragon wing's looked biological, but the entire thing was made of metal. "Gadjiltron Dragon, attack Wild Wingman". The dragon opened its mouth and a blue light sparked inside. "PROTON CANNON", Ness shouted. Wingman was reduced to nothing in the particle beam. "I end my turn with this, Ancient Gear Explosive. I sacrifice Gadjiltron Dragon to hit you with 1500 points of direct damage".

"**WOW folks, what an amazing attack. I think it's safe to say who'll be winning this match".**

Ness- 6400LP

Andy- 2500LP

Andy blinked a few times to get his vision back from the attack. He slipped the top card off his deck. "I set one card face down and end my turn by attacking the Yellow Gadget". Jerry Beans Man swung its tiny sword through the machine.

Ness drew his card. "I summon Cannon Soldier (A1400, D1300) in attack mode and end my turn".

Andy drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Overgrowth (A1400, D1200) in attack mode. Next I'll attack with Jerry Beans Man and then Overgrowth". The two monsters attacked Ness. "I end my turn".

Ness- 4650LP

Andy- 2500LP

Ness drew his card. "Ha! Tell me, when I destroyed my own Dragon, did you think the Gadjiltron nightmare was over?" Andy looked at Ness with suspicion in his eyes. "Well, I'll tell you it isn't. I use Ancient Gear Castle's special effect. I can sacrifice it as one monster for an Ancient Gear monster. So I rid my field card to summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera (A2300, D1300). Gadjiltron Chimera, attack his Overgrowth". A red spark triggered in the chimera's mouth as particles gathered. "ELECTRON CANNON". The blast flew at Overgrowth.

"Reveal face down card, Draining Shield". A light blue shield formed over Andy's monsters and the red light was turned into white and redirected at Andy. "This card stops your attack and gives me life points equal to it".

Ness frowned. "I end my turn".

Ness- 4650LP

Andy- 4800LP

Andy picked up his card. "I activate my magic card, Overgrowth Transformation. When I have Overgrowth on my field, I can return as many monsters on my field to my deck in return to special summon an elemental hero for each. Just so long as I pay 2000 life points for each monster". He shuffled his two monsters in and pulled out two cards. "I summon Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (A1200, D800). "Then I'll use Polymerization to fuse them into Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (A2100, D1200) in attack mode and I'll equip him with Salamandra to pump him by 700 points. Wingman, attack his chimera with Sky Dive Scorcher". The green monster lit itself on fire and crashed itself down on the machine monster. "And let's not forget his special ability. Whenever he destroys a card, he does damage equal to your monster's attack points". Wingman blasted Ness with a river of fire. "I end my turn".

Ness- 1850LP

Andy- 800LP

**"This could be it folks. If Ness doesn't draw a monster here, it's all over", **echoed the announcer's voice.

Ness drew his card and his face fell. He looked at Andy and sighed. "I end my turn". Andy closed his eyes and smiled.

"Flame Wingman, attack his life points directly". The wingman fired a gust of feathers at Ness, lowering his life points to zero. The two duelists stood, facing each other for a few seconds before turning to leave in opposite directions.

**"And Andy Jones is the winner"**.

So, Thanatos has made an appearance in the Kingda Ka tournament. And Andy has won his next duel. But who was the boy with dark red hair and crimson eyes. All will be revealed on The Seventh Guardian.


	18. The Born Loser and the Prodigy

Stronger Than Death

Cairo sat in his bus on the way to the airport. He closed his eyes and the tattoo on his forehead started to glow behind his long hair. _'Master Flare, I have succeeded in passing the preliminary rounds. I'm on my way to the finals as we speak'_.

_'Excellent Cairo, I never doubted you once',_ a voice responded. _'And what of the keeper of the book, has he been eliminated yet?'_ the voice asked.

_'No, I haven't had a crack at him yet. And he hasn't been put up against any of our men. Speaking of which, who else has made it to the final rounds?'_

_'Besides you and myself, only Talon and Eddie'._ Cairo's eyes tensed and he nodded.

_'I see. Well if all goes well, we shall have his soul by the end of the tournament_'.

_'After five thousand long years, I shall finally have what I desire'_, the voice said. Cairo opened his eyes and looked at the large airport out his window.

At the same time, the other voice of the conversation looked across the small plane he was sitting in. His crimson eyes locked on the other duelist. _'It's about time'_.

Darren stood up and stretched. He looked around at the other duels still going on. _'I figure I still have a little time left, so I can slip off to my room for a second_', he thought. He grabbed his duel disk and the large sword from Vandal and walked out of the building. He ran across the street to the hotel and up to his room. He packed his stuff up and opened a drawer on the bedside table. He pulled out a label and a stamp. On the label he wrote his home address and stuck it along with the stamp on the sword. He went down to the ground floor's postal office and mailed the sword to his house. He left the hotel and arrived at the building just as the last life point meter hit zero.

Darren looked up at the monitor to look for his information about the next city he was going to. But the monitor was blank. Instead, two men in suites were standing on the stage looking quite cheerful. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may we have your attention please. We know it has been an interesting week for all of you. You've been to three different cities to duel people of your own level. And you're all level five duelists. You've proven that with your six wins. But now, the time for the finals rounds is upon us", one of the men stated.

Darren looked around confused. _'Finals, with this many people. Are these the only duelists left in the tournament?_' he wondered.

The other man stepped forward. "We're sorry to inform all of you that not all of you will be competing in the finals though. You see, not only have we been watching if you win or not, but how well you do. So we have decided to take the thirty-two of you and pull two out to go on to the final rounds. We're sorry, but every other group of duelists has already found their two duelists. So without anything else to say, here are the two finalists", he stepped back and let the monitor display the two qualifying duelists. The first picture to show up was a familiar one.

"Number one is Darren Fantasy", said the first man. Darren smiled as he did everything he could from jumping out of joy. Then the monitor showed another face Darren recognized, that of the Harpie duelist. "And number two is Eric Flyleaf". The man announced. The other duelists didn't look at all happy.

"We're terribly sorry", the second man apologized. "Now if you will, there are buses outside to take you to your home cities. Darren, Eric, can the two of you please come with us. Both of the boys followed in silence. They came to a long limousine parked outside the building.

"Now", said the first man, "we have prepared a private flight for the two of you to Moscow, Russia. This will take you to the airport. We hope you excel in the final rounds". The two boys climbed into the limo and the long car drove off.

"So Darren, what are competing for? I mean, why are you in this tournament? I suppose I'm asking why you duel?" Eric asked. Darren looked at him and thought for a moment.

"I don't know", was his only answer. "I'm not sure. Why do you?"

Eric smiled out of amusement. "How do you no know? You have to know why you duel, otherwise you wouldn't do it. What makes you love dueling?" He looked at Darren for a response before continuing. "Well, I duel for myself. You see, in my family there is a set of cards that we all use. My father has forbid us from becoming professional duelists unless we use that set, otherwise we're removed from the family. But the only way we're allowed to use the set is to win our school's class tournament. It's nothing interesting. Each grade holds a tournament and in my family, winning that tournament grants you the privilege to use the set of cards".

Darren nodded his head. "I see, so why exactly do you duel for yourself?" he asked. Eric slouched down as he relaxed in his seat.

"Well like I said, my entire family uses a set of cards, but my father is the best in the family. Before I was born, there was a tournament that my father entered and the prize was a card that compliments the set. You could almost say it's the set leader. But there's only one and my father has it. And the reason I'm in this tournament is because I want it. My father told me when I was young that if I ever wanted it, then I could have it. But I would have to defeat him in a duel. So I'm in this tournament to get some extra experience with my deck so I can defeat him".

Darren nodded his head again. "Oh, well I suppose _I_ duel for myself a little. You see, I never knew my father. He died before I was born. But my mom tells me he was a duelist. Also, I recently moved from my hometown and left all my friends who taught me to duel behind. So I duel to be with them in spirit. When I duel, I feel as though I'm with my friends and it's the only I can feel as though I have a father". The limo pulled up to the airport. The two boys picked up their things and climbed aboard the plane. The door shut and the two duelists were on their way to Moscow.

"Well Darren, that sounds very sweet but I was out very late dueling last night so I'm gonna take a nap". The lounge the two duelists were situated in had couches against the wall. Eric laid down on one and fell asleep. Darren sat down in a chair and looked out the window. Before long, his eyelids became heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

Darren was shaken awake a few hours later by Eric. "Huh? What's up, what do you need?" he asked.

"Come on, we're here". The two duelists stepped off the plane and were confronted by a tall man in a black suite with an eat piece.

"I trust you two are Darren Fantasy and Eric Flyleaf", he said. He reminded Darren of the Secret Service.

"That's us", Eric said proudly. The man smiled.

"We're honored to have you with us. The other finalists have already arrived. Please follow me to the main hall". The two of them followed the man across the landing strip, but instead of an airport, the two of them saw a tall building, taller than any other Darren had ever seen. Darren couldn't believe his eyes. There was the entire city of Moscow behind the building, but this monster towered over the urban jungle. Darren shivered for a second.

"You alright?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, just cold. Don't worry, I'm from New York so I'll get used to it. This is nothing". Eric laughed.

"I understand. Don't worry, it won't get much colder than this if any".

"How do you know?"

"Let's just say I've been here before". The two of them entered the building. The front room looked like the lobby of a royal hotel. There were loads of people sitting and standing. Most of them were photographers and reporters.

"Just walk fast and don't look at them", the man said. The three of them picked up their pace.

"Hey look, it's the final duelists", one of the reporters shouted. The man grabbed the boys and ran for an open set of heavy double doors. They made it inside and the man shut the doors. He turned around smiling.

"We don't need any of them bothering you guys before your tournament". He held the wire in his ear and mumbled, "Get the media off the premises". Darren and Eric looked around the room, surveying it. It looked like a miniature ballroom filled with paintings and plants. On the other side of the room were identical double doors. There also happened to be fourteen other people in the room. Darren figured they must be the other finalists.

The first was a young man, about nineteen years old. He had spiky red hair and dark crimson eyes. He had a bright red T-shirt and black jeans. His duel disk was situated on his right wrist. And dangling from his neck was a strange piece of jewelry. It was a square piece of gold with two rounded Ls sticking out.

The next was a tall man with graying hair that war balding on top but hang down his back. He wore long red robes. A duel disk was lying on a table next to the chair he was sitting in. Sitting across from the man was a young, pretty girl. She had short blonde hair that fell a bit past her left ear and was longer as it went around the back of her head so that it was almost to the base of her neck on the other side. She wore a hooded sweatshirt and tight blue jeans. He duel disk was sitting on her lap.

Standing in the far corner was a man dressed in a black suite with an earpiece. He had short black hair and dark mirror sunglasses blocked his eyes. His face bared no expression. In fact, his mouth was so straight it was almost not there. A duel disk was on his left arm. The next person was a skinny boy with long brown hair. He had oversized glasses and clothes. He was building a house of cards with his duel monsters deck.

There was a man sitting on the floor against the wall. He had wild black hair and wide eyes. He wore a leopard skin vest with black shorts. Around his neck was a string necklace with what looked like animal teeth in it. He was eating from a tray of food and scratching his hair every couple of seconds. His duel disk lay next to him, forgotten. The man in the suite was staring at him.

Sitting on a couch was a boy about Darren's age with long dirty blonde hair. He wore a faded gray T-shirt and faded jeans. There was a bored look on his face. His duel disk was on his right arm, which was tapping on the couch's arm. On the other end of the couch was a young woman. Her body was covered by a robe like dress. Her duel disk sat next to her.

In a chair, sat am older boy with long, blue-gray hair. His eyes were icy blue. He wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans. A duel disk was strapped to his left wrist, but no deck was in it. Stuffing his face with food was the eleventh person in the room. His brown hair was cut short and he was dressed in military clothes. His duel disk was on his muscular arm. Darren looked at him and thought to himself, _'That guy's more of an animal than that guy on the floor. I'm getting sick just watching him stuff his ass'_.

A very young girl sat on the seat of another chair. She had long dark blue hair and dressed in black robes. There was a red headband tied around her head. Her duel disk was sitting in the chair. Standing behind the young girl was a young woman. She had a cold face and long black hair which was tied back into a ponytail. She was wearing the same kind of clothes that Bulma was wearing at the end of the first season of Dragonball.

Then against the wall was a boy with a frightening face. His skin was tight so it showed the details of his face. And his long hair was almost white. He wore a black T-shirt and black jeans. And then the final person was in a chair in the very middle of the room. Staring directly at Darren with a huge grin on his face, forehead glowing away was Cairo.

_'It's so nice to see you again Darren. I see you've done well to stay in the tournament. Let me just say I look forward to crushing you in the finals and making the book my own'_, echoed the voice in Darren's mind. The tattoo on his head dulled out. Just as Darren and Eric finished surveying the room, the doors on the far side of the room opened and in walked a man in a very fancy tuxedo walking in. He was a portly man and his dark brown hair was receding.

"Ah, I see all of the finalists have made it. We can finally move on with the selection for the final rounds. Now then, the first duel will begin tomorrow morning at nine. To decide who will be facing who we have written numbers one through sixteen on pieces of paper and we'll have you draw them from this box right here. He pulled out from behind him a perfectly square box with a hole on the top. "Now, I think we shall go in alphabetical order. That means your first Agent Smith".

The man in the corner with the earpiece walked up to the man with the box and reached his hand in. He pulled it out and looked at the number. "I've got five" he said. He pocketed the slip and walked away.

"Okay then, next is Alpha". The man eating on the floor jumped to his feet and picked out his number.

"Fourteen", he said and ran back to his food.

"Alright then, next I need a Mr. Cairo". Darren watched as the creepy man stood up and pulled out a number.

"Eleven's my number". The man wrote down his number and looked up.

"Cardinal Supreme", he called out. The man with the long red robes quietly picked a piece of paper.

"Mine would be thirteen". The man nodded his head.

"Okay, we have Cardinal and Alpha in the first round. Now I need Dale Laney". The young man with crimson eyes stepped forward.

He picked his slip of paper and said, "One", and returned to his seat.

"Alright, let's have Darren Fantasy". Darren gulped and took a step forward.

"Get a good one", Eric said from behind him. Darren nodded. He reached into the box and pulled out his own paper.

"I picked fifteen". The man smiled him and marked it down.

"Um, Eddie", The skull faced boy went up to the box. He revealed the paper marked with a seven. "And now Eric". Eric passed Darren on the way back.

"I got twelve".

"And it seems Cairo will be facing off against Eric Flyleaf. May I have Kiri". The young girl with blue hair scampered up. The man had to lower the box so she could reach. She pulled out her piece.

"I got ten", she said excitedly.

"Very good", the man said. "And now Kurt Cobain". The bored looking kid with the dirty blonde hair slowly got up and picked out his card with a look on his face like it was a waste of time.

"I have eight".

"So Eddie and Kurt will fill our fourth round", the man said. "Now we have the Overlord". The girl in the hooded sweatshirt stood up and walked over to the box. She looked down at her feet the entire time. When she looked at he sheet, she glanced at the man and merely said, "Three". She turned around and went back to the couch.

"Alright, Let's have Prime next". The boy with glasses grabbed a piece of paper, which turned out to be six. "Uh, huh. Sarge?" The man in the army clothes stepped up and stuck two fingers in to get his number.

"Sixteen's mine", he said.

"Next is Sirius Canine". The blue-grayed hair boy pulled out a slip.

"I drew number two". He returned to his seat.

"Please step forward Spirit". The woman in the dress came up and pulled out nine.

"And that leaves Talon with number four. Okay, it seems as though we have the pairs all figured out. The first rounds of the finals will be Dale Laney and Sirius Canine, The Overlord and Talon, Agent Smith and Prime, Eddie and Kurt Cobain, Spirit and Kiri, Cairo and Eric Flyleaf, Cardinal Supreme and Alpha and finally Darren Fantasy and Sarge". The duelists all looked around at their opponents. "Now since the tournament doesn't continue until tomorrow, the rest of you are free to wander the city. As for your rooms, they are upstairs". The duelists all gathered their things and were escorted to their rooms. Darren through his stuff on his bed and left the room. On his way to the elevator, he ran into Eric.

"Hey, I know of a place that's pretty close that has some really good duelists. You wanna go?" he asked. Darren smiled.

"No thanks. I'm getting pretty tired of dueling. I just want to go out and relax. But thanks for the offer. Hey, how do you of anywhere around here?"

Eric looked unnerved. "Um, just hearing about things", he replied. The two of them rode the elevator down. And parted ways. Eric walked off into the city. Darren looked in the opposite direction. It was still urban, but a little more spaced out than the other way. Darren took a deep breath. When he exhaled, he could see his breath. He smiled and blew a big puff of smoke and laughed quietly to himself until he stumbled forward from a force from behind. He looked over his shoulder a the Sarge standing in his green military outfit, looming over Darren.

"You'd better watch out little man or else you might just get crushed", he said in a drill instructor's fashion. Darren turned around and looked up into the face of his opponent. He was clearly the size of almost three Darrens. Darren smirked.

"Yeah, you'd better watch out, too. Otherwise you might get your ass handed to you in the first round of the finals", he responded. The Sarge ground his teeth together.

"Why you little maggot. Listen up, I'm winning this tournament and nobody is gonna beat me, including you. GOT THAT?" he shouted. He picked Darren up by the collar of his shirt. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, DO YOU GOT THAT?" The smirk on Darren's face grew.

"Put me down big guy and run along or I'll have to deal out a smack down right now and then there will be no surprise tomorrow", he said. The Sarge's face became beet red.

"I'd enjoy beating you now shrimp, but it's against the rules and then I'd be disqualified, too. You're off the hook for now. But tomorrow, you're mine. 'Cos I'm winning this tournament, _got that?'_ he asked and got up in Darren's face.

"That's a nice dream. Maybe if you hope real hard then maybe, just maybe, it'll come true", Darren said smartly. The Sarge roared and turned around and stormed off. Darren felt a sense of pride and walked off. He came to a small park with old fashioned metal structures like a slide, a merry-go-round, a jungle gym, and a small set of swings. There were a bunch of kids spinning on the merry-go-round and forming a line for the slide. No one was playing on the jungle gym. Darren also noticed there were several kids engaged in duels of all kinds. There was the standard one-on-one, the ever exciting double duel, and the rarely seen but much enjoyed five way. Darren shook his head.

_'I guess I can never truly get away from Duel Monsters'_, he thought. He crossed the park to the swing set and sat down on one of the rubber swings. He looked out across the park at the different duels going on.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you in the Kingda-Ka Tournament?" piped a small voice. Darren looked to his side and saw a young boy sitting on the swing next to him. The boy had short curly blonde hair and very dark red eyes. He was wearing a light blue turtle-neck and a pair of black snow pants.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I am. Why aren't you dueling?" Darren asked, noticing the boy had a duel disk on his left wrist. The boy looked down at the thin snow on the ground.

"Um…I don't feel like it right now", he said. Darren nodded and looked into the gray sky. Snowflakes began to fall from the clouds. The delicate, white tears fell to the ground and began to pile up. A snowflake passed in front of Darren and one of those anime flashbacks where everything is paler.

_//Flashback//_

_A twelve year old Darren ran across a more modern park with all the colorful plastic structures. He had a heavy jacket and boots on with his jeans. His hands were covered by royal blue gloves. He dove over a mound of snow. Blaine was already behind the pile. He had a thick red jacket on with matching gloves. A dark brown hat covered his dirty blonde hair. A snowball was packed tightly in his hand. Darren nodded to him and made one of his own. The two of them looked up over the small hill at another one close by. _

_"Hey Luke, we're calling you out", Blaine called. Luke stuck his handsome face over the other mound. His blonde hair stuck up with powdery snow in it. Next to him Brandy Dream poked her beautiful face out. At the time, her golden hair was short. She wore a blue and pink Alpine-like hat with the strings atop her head. _

_"This park ain't big enough for the two of us", he called back and laughed. He darted out from behind the snow fort toward Darren and Blaine. Blaine jumped on his mound and hurled his snowball at Luke, hitting him in the stomach. _

_"Oh yeah, how do you like me now?" Blaine cheered. A snowball caught him in the chest and knocked him down on his butt so he was sitting on the fort. _

_"That's one down, one to go", Brandy said. Darren stood up and charged at the fort. Brandy jumped out and ran at him. The two of them dove Matrix style at each other and pulled their arms back. Brandy tossed her snowball at Darren who, in response, swung his arm but crushed the snowball in his hand. The snowball smacked him right in the face before the two of them landed next to each other. They sat up and the three other kids laughed as Darren wiped the snow off his face. _

_"Looks like you guys won", Blaine said. Brandy looked at Darren._

_"Darren, did you let me win?" she asked. Darren looked away._

_"No, why would I do that". _

_"You did! Aw, you act like you're not a people person, but you're a big sweety. You're as harmless as a bunny rabbit". Darren narrowed his eyes at her. The three of them knew that calling him a bunny rabbit got under his skin. She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. _

_"Oooooh, how cute", came a taunting voice. The four of them looked over to a short plastic jungle gym and saw a kid standing on top off it. _

_"Shut up Jason! Go away", Brandy shouted. Darren stood up with a new snowball in his hand and threw it, but it fell short and sprayed all over the jungle gym under Jason's feet. _

_"HA! Nice throw", he shouted. Luke picked up some snow and hurled it at Jason, pounding him in the chest. Jason took a step back and slipped on the snow at his feet. He fell backward off the plastic structure, lodging his head in the snow on the ground. The four kids started laughing. _

_//End Flashback//_

Darren was rocking back in forth on the swing. A smile crossed his lips. "Hey, do you wanna duel?" the little kid asked. Darren snapped out of it and looked down at the kid.

"Ok, sure". The two of them stood up and walked to an open space. "Alright kid, I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're younger", Darren promised. The kid nodded. Darren pulled six cards from his deck. "First tell me your name".

"I'm Darrek Flyleaf. And who are you?" the small boy asked.

"The name's Darren Fantasy".

"Hey, your name's like mine, but with an N at the end", the boy said excitedly.

"Hey, would you look at that", Darren replied. _'Flyleaf, that name's familiar. Where did I hear that name before?'_

Darren looked over his hand. "I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000). Then I toss one card face down. I end my turn", he declared. Darrek grabbed his opening hand.

"I'll set one card face down in defense mode. Then I drop two cards face down and end my turn". The three brown backed cards formed on the opposite side of the field as the muscular green genie.

Darren drew his next card. "Alright, here's a new card, Veral the Storm (A1600, D1300)". A dark gray-skinned magician appeared on the field wearing a blue cloak. It had long yellow-green hair under one of those wide-brimmed hats (like from Spy vs Spy). The brim was down to cover one of its eyes. A long golden staff was in its right hand. "He has a special ability that I like. When he's summoned, I can draw two cards and instantly special summon any level four or lower monsters". Darren drew two cards and pulled one out. "So go, Boron the Subterranean (A1300, D1900)".

The new monster was a rounder version of Veral. But this one had greasy red hair under a black metal helmet. It was dressed in a red cloak and had dark tan skin. A look of uncertainty had fallen over its face. In its hand was a shiny black staff. "And like his friend, he has a special ability. Whenever he's summoned I get to bring one magic card to my hand from my deck and activate it". Darren lifted his deck and moved some out of the way until he found one. "I activate Polymerization to fuse Veral and Boron into Firestorm Paladin (A2200, D1900)". A tall magician in robes much like that of the Dark Magician, but they were red and blue. Its long, majestic green hair fell down to its back. A golden staff rested in its hand. "And when he's summoned, I can search through my deck for another level four or lower monster to special summon". Darren whipped out another monster. It was a pale blue monster dressed in a green cloak with an Eskimo hood. It had dark green gloves and a very pale blue staff in its hand. "Meet Huros the Blizzard (A1600, D1700). When this little guy is played, I can then summon a level four or lower monster from my hand and I choose Gorgo the Typhoon (A1800, D900)". This monster was a noble, built spellcaster in a dark gray cloak with long hair of the same color. He wore a shimmering silver crown atop his head. In his hand was the long gray staff.

"And he pulls one magic card from the graveyard back into my hand. But I'll hold onto it for now. Now Gorgo, attack his face down monster with Great Air Waves". The monster held its staff in the air and a violent rush of wind blew toward the brown card, flipping it up.

"It's my D.D. Trainer (A100, D2000). His defense is high enough to withstand your attack", Darrek said. The beast revealed itself to be a gross sized worm with a red back and a yellow underside. But this word had broad blue arms and a small pink goblin dressed in green on its back.

"Be glad my Paladin can't attack this turn, otherwise you'd be in for a world of hurt". Darren crossed his arms. "I end my turn".

Darrek drew his card. "I activate my Change of Heart on your Paladin. This will let me control it for one turn. Next I activate my Heart of Clear Water. As long as its equipped to my Trainer it can't be destroyed. Now Paladin, attack his La Jinn". The magician fire a blast of icy blue flames at the genie, burning it to ashes. "Now I equip it with another Heart of Clear Water. But since it's attack is over 1300, your monster is destroyed". A mournful looking red drop of water crashed on the Paladin, destroying it. "I end my turn".

Darren- 7600LP

Darrek- 8000LP

Darren drew his card. "No more fun and games. Now we kick it up a notch". Darren looked over his cards. I reactivate Polymerization to combine my remaining monsters into Frostbite Paladin (A2400, D1900)". A strong magician with misty-colored robes and a silver staff appeared. Fierce but caring eyes stared out across the field from behind long gray hair. "His special ability will let me reborn a monster with "Paladin" in its name by discarding a card. Rise Firestorm Paladin". The two sorcerers stood side by side. "And don't forget he lets me summon another four star monster, and I call out Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000). Next I'll remove Breaker's counter to blast away the Heart of Clear Water". Breaker fired a red bolt into the magic card. "And then I'll sacrifice him for Dark Magician Girl (A2000, D1800)". The cute girl leapt from the card. She swung her baton around and her helmet fell over her eyes. She lifted it up and winked at Darrek before landing. "Firestorm Paladin, attack his monster with Sonic Firestorm". A burst off fire ripped through the cold air and snow and through the worm. "Next I'll attack your life points directly". The two remaining monsters fired off their spells at Darrek. "I end my turn".

Darren- 7600LP

Darrek- 3600LP

Darrek slowly drew his card. He looked over at the other duels and saw the other kids looking at him. He looked back at his hand. "I set one card face down and end my turn".

Darren drew his card. "If that's all you got to fight back with, then this game's over. Dark Magician Girl, destroy his monster with Dark Burning Attack". The Magician Girl blasted a pink wave of magic t the card, slicing it in two. "Finish Paladins". The two monsters covered the field with brilliant attacks. Darrek's life point meter ran out. Darren looked down at the snow and a tear ran out of his eye and into the white ground. "Hey, are you okay?"

The small boy wiped his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine".

"Hey come on. It's just a game, there's no need to cry about it", Darren said, trying to calm the child down.

"It's not that. It's just that I've never won. I've never won a single duel in my life. I want to grow up to be a great duelist like my father and my brother. My father is great, and my brother is looked at like a prodigy. But I'm no good. And I can't use my families signature set of cards if I can't win".

Darren thought for a second. _'Hey that sounds kinda familiar, too'_

"And you won't win unless you learn to duel better than that", came a new voice in the conversation. Darren and Darrek looked over to see Eric Flyleaf starring at the two of them.

"Whoa, you're _his _brother. That must mean _you're_ from around here Eric. That's why you're wise to this city already". Darren said with his eyes wider. "But seriously, don't you think you should take it easy on him, he is your little brother after all".

"Take it easy, that's anyone's ever done for him. And look at him, can't even win a single duel. He's not worthy of using our precious set. It is only after being able to wield the cards in our decks that we are recognized as men in our family. But he has nowhere near as much skill as needed to use these cards", Eric said, holding up his deck. Darrek looked down at the snow again.

"Alright, just leave him be. So he lost, no big deal. He'll win eventually. And until he does, don't you think you should encourage him", Darren reasoned.

"It wouldn't be a big duel if it were just one loss. But it's not, it's countless losses. He has my full support, but that's not enough for him to prove to our father that he is a man. A man's determination is not powered by those supporting him, but rather his own strength feeding that determination".

Darren narrowed his eyes. "Those are some pretty strong words. How about we duel right now. It's not for certain that we'd duel in the tournament, so it won't get us disqualified. Unless you're too afraid".

"Suit yourself. I'll give you a taste of what's to come tomorrow in the tournament", he said as he activated his duel disk.

"I'm a bit too brave to be afraid of you", Darren came back as he shuffled his deck. Eric shook his head.

"A man's courage is not proven by not being afraid, it's proven when he faces his fears to fight for what he believes in".

"Yeah enough of that", Darren said annoyed. He pulled out his first hand. Eric responded by doing the same.

"I'll start". Eric pulled out another card. "I start by summoning Birdface (A1600, D1600)". The gold-feathered bird flapped its wings, revealing blue feathers on its chest. "Then I'll lay two cards face down and activate the field spell card, Harpie's Hunting Ground to give Birdface 200 extra points". A light woodland rose from the snow on the ground. Wooden polls also formed amongst the trees. "I end my turn".

Darren drew his card. "I summon Huros the Blizzard". The magician in light blue ran through the woods to take its spot on the field, but immediately fell down a pit fall.

"Since your monster has more than 1000 attack points, my Trap Hole will open up below it and destroy it". The monster burst into pieces and the hole closed up.

"I set one card face down and end my turn".

Eric drew a card. "I summon Harpie Lady 1 (A1300, D1400)". A woman with long pink hair and wings covered in green feathers screeched as she materialized. She had talons for hands and feet. "Her special ability gives all wind type monsters 300 extra attack points. So Birdface is at 2100 and my Harpie has 1800 attack points". The monsters screeched as they flexed their increasing muscles. "Harpie Lady 1, attack him with your talons". The lady flew at Darren and scratched him with the clawed hands. "And now you attack him Birdface". The other monster tackled Darren and bounced back to its post. "And in addition to giving my monsters 200 points, when I summon a Harpie Lady my Hunting Grounds destroys one magic or trap cards on the field, and I choose your face down card". The brown-backed cards shattered into data fragments. "I end my turn".

Eric- 8000LP

Darren- 4100LP

Darren added another card to his hand. "Go Rapid- Fire Magician (A1600, D1200), in defense mode.". The young magician in long purple robes took shape from the particles of light. He swung his twin staffs around as the multi-colored orbs floated around behind him. "He deals out 400 points of damage whenever I activate a magic card. So feel the burn as I use my Monster Reborn to bring back Huros".

"I think not. Reveal face down trap card, Magic Jammer. So long as I discard a card from my hand, I can negate your magic card and destroy it", Eric countered. He slipped a card from his hand into his graveyard slot and Monster Reborn blew to pieces.

Darren looked over his hand quickly. "I'll drop two card face down and end my turn".

Eric drew his card. His expression had remained nonchalant the entire duel. In fact, he looked as if he were wasting his time with the game. "I regret even dueling with you now. It hasn't helped my game at all. I guess you're just not as experience as I am. I've been dueling for as long as I can remember. I'm looked on as the prodigy of my family and sadly, you couldn't even amuse me". Eric looked disappointed at Darren. Darren clenched his free hand and glared at his opponent.

"Oh really, you think you're that good", he contested.

"I know I'm that good", Eric snapped back coldly.

"Well if you really can beat me, then prove it".

"Gladly". Eric picked a card out of his hand. "I summon Harpie's Brother (A1800, D600)". The dark-skinned man in black leather clenched his fist as power from the other cards pumped through his body. He had spiky black hair and bright red wings that matched the claw-like weapon on his right wrist. "Next I remove my Harpie Lady from the graveyard to special summon Garuda the Wind Spirit (1600, D1200)". The might bird-headed man held its fist to Darren and his monster.

"Wait, I never destroyed a Harpie Lady, so how was it in the graveyard?" Darren demanded.

"The Magic Jammer I activated on your last turn required me to discard a card remember. So I threw out Harpie Lady". Darren's eyes widened. "To continue, I activate my Harpie's Feather Duster to blow away your face down cards". A violent gust of wind blew the cards off into the trees. "And now, Harpie Lady 1, attack his monster". The winged woman slashed her claws through the small magician. "And now to finish you off, attack my monsters". Each one of the monsters on Eric's field struck Darren, knocking his life points down to zero. Darren fell to his knees in the snow.

"Dammit!" he shouted as he pounded on the ground. His deck spilled everywhere. Derrek rushed over to help pick up the cards.

"I thought I would get more of a challenge out of you Darren, but I guess I was wrong. There's nothing special about you. And if the other duelists are at your level, then this is going to be easier to win than I thought". Darren watched as he turned and started to walk away. Eric was placing his finishing hand back onto the deck when he felt something cold hit him in the back. He turned around to see Darren standing with a snowball in his hand and a grin on his face. "How old are we Darren, five? Can we please grow up?"

Darren threw the other snowball and hit Eric in the chest. Derrek let out a chuckle. "I'm warning you Darren, one more of those an". Eric was cut off as another one hit him I the mouth. Eric spit out the snow and bent over. He quickly formed a snowball and threw it at Darren, catching him in the shoulder.

"Oh, so that's how we're gonna play is it?" Darren asked playfully. He grabbed a mound of snow and threw it back. Eric dove on his side to avoid the snowball. He crawled behind a mound of snow and gathered up a new snowball and threw it across the park. Darren dropped to the ground, just dodging the attack. He too rolled behind a small barrier of the white stuff. He threw a snowball over his shoulder and heard it splat.

"Hey, that one hit me Darren", Derrek cried. He picked up a snowball and threw it at Darren. Darren ducked below the snow fort. He quickly made two more balls of snow and threw one at each of the brothers, missing both of them and taking a hit to the face from Eric. The three boys spent the next few hours hurling projectiles at each other until they were too tired to get up. They just lay sprawled out on the ground as the rested.

_'Man, how can I possibly win this tournament if I have to face Eric again. He beat me in just thee turns. I didn't even get a chance at his life points. I don't stand a chance, maybe I should drop out'_, Darren thought.

_'No, you must never do that Darren'_, Arcturas said to him. _'Just because something's hard, doesn't mean its impossible. Besides, Eric isn't even your opponent yet, you still have to worry about The Sarge'._

_'Right, I wonder if I can even beat him'_, Darren thought.

_'Of course you can Darren, if you put your heart into it, you can overcome anything'_, Arcturas ensured. Darren put on his determined look.

_'Right'._ He looked over at Eric lying on the ground. _'Next time, you're mine_'. He smiled and looked at the sky before closing his eyes.

Cairo sat in his hotel room. He opened his eyes and the tattoo on his forehead quit glowing. "Well, there you have it. Darren can be defeated. Turns out that Harpie duelist is pretty good".

"Just make sure he doesn't defeat you", Talon said. Her Egyptian accent was heavy. "After all, he's your first opponent". Eddie looked from Talon to Cairo with a crazed look on his face.

"Don't worry about me, there's no way I can lose", he said. The tattoo gave a quick flash. A fourth member walked into the room. The member was dresses in a dull black cloak with the hood pulled over his face. A golden ornament hang down in front of him.

"You'd better not lose. There's no plus side to losing a Shadow Game", he said. The three people got down on one knee.

"We are to play Shadow Games?" Talon asked.

"Of course, why not. After all, what would be the purpose of having the ability to call on the Shadow Realm if not to use it".

"Right, Master Flare", Talon said embarrassed.

"I will not fail you my Master, I shall defeat the keeper of the Book in a Shadow Realm", Cairo said as he stood up. He was slightly taller than the hooded man.

"And if you do win, you'll be rewarded most generously".

"There is no if, I can't lose", he said. The cloak moved up, signaling that the man inside was looking at Cairo's forehead.

"You have been blessed with such a gift. But I have seen what the boy wears around his neck, it won't be so easy".

"Don't you worry about a thing, I will make sure that once he enters a Shadow Game with me, he never sees the light of day again", Cairo reassured. The cloak moved to look at Cairo's face.

"That's what I like to hear", he said as two crimson lights burned from under the hood.

**Finally finished the next chapter. Sorry this one took so long. There's no real reason, I'm just real lazy. But I worked hard on this one to make it extra special. And sorry there's no scenes with Andy. But just who's under the hood. And who'll win the duel between Cairo and Eric. It doesn't seem like either one will be easy for Darren. **


	19. Dangerous Dream, Duelist of the Inferno

Stronger than Death

Darren sat in his hotel bed. It was just after midnight. He had his deck spread out before him. They were laid out perfectly on a rectangular piece of wood. Each card was face up and Darren was looking at them admiringly. A piece of paper was face down next to Darren. He looked at the Millenium Medallion sitting on his nightstand. His returned his gaze to his cards and gave them a stern look.

"Alright troops, this is it. The moment we've all been waiting for. We've finally made it to the final rounds. Just like anything else in life, it's always darkest before dawn. These duelists aren't going to be a cake walk. If anyone doesn't think they can handle the upcoming duel, then leave now, because after this point there is no turning back. Do you read me". Darren looked at each card individually.

"This is the enemy". He held up the piece of paper that showed a portrait of The Sarge. "This is who we are going to defeat. We are going to grind him into nothing. Now, I want everyone to get a good night sleep. We begin at o ten-hundred hours". He gathered up the cards and shuffled his deck. "You are the best of the best of the best", he said proudly. He set his duel disk on his nightstand. The Millenium Medallion let out a brilliant glow. A transparent image of Arcturas stood before Darren.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked. Darren looked at his deck and a look of doubt washed over him. He looked back at the image and gave it a weak smile. Arcturas looked back with a solemn stare. Darren stood up.

"Of course", he said nervously. Arcturas stared at the boy. "Hey, ready or not, I have to duel tomorrow. So what does it matter?"

"Being ready can make all the difference. I can almost guarantee you that The Sarge isn't giving you a single thought. He figure's he already has this thing won. And Eric isn't sweating it out either". Darren looked down at his feet. "But just because they're not worrying, doesn't mean they'll win. Remember to stay confident. And don't forget to trust in your deck and in yourself. Do that and you can't lose".

Darren looked up with an assured smile. "RIGHT! There's no way I'm gonna lose. Not after everything that's happened so far. I'm winning this thing, the WHOLE thing. And The Sarge, Eric, or anyone else here is gonna stand in my way". Arcturas smiled. His image dissipated. Darren sat back down and slumped his shoulders. _'I wish I believed that'_, he thought. He looked at his deck.

Eric sat in a chair in his hotel living room. His duel disk and deck sat on the coffee table before him. He held a single card in his hand. "Tomorrow's the first round. I can't wait". He looked at the picture of the card. It bore a pretty woman with short red hair under a metal helmet with wings. Blue lines were painted on her cheeks. She wore very revealing metal armor. There were red feathered wings extending from her wrists and talons for her feet. In one hand she held a short sword. "With you in my deck, I can't lose".

Cairo stood in front of a large window. His gaze was drawn to the bright lights in the city below. _'I need not even trace their minds for strategies. I shall be able to deal with whatever they throw at me. And when I obtain the book from Darren, I shall learn the secrets of the Millenium Medallion and take it for myself_', he thought.

Dale Laney lay silently asleep in his bed in his hotel room.

Elsewhere in the world, Andy Jones shuffled through his deck. _'So here we are. The finals begin tomorrow. This is gonna be a cake walk. All these big-shot, superstar duelists are gonna knocked off their ass by this unknown duelist. Isn't that right guys_', he thought looking down at his deck. And unfamiliar monster sat on top. It was a heroic monster dressed in blue tights. It's face was covered by a visor with mirrored glass. On his back were two mechanic wings with propellers on the bottom. _'Right'_, he answered to himself.

Darren laid down and closed his eyes. The Millenium Medallion flashed a golden light through the room. Darren opened his eyes and was lost in a void of darkness. His body felt like it was falling, though he could feel the ground below his feet. It seemed like he was on a terrain that was in free fall. There was a sudden crash and Darren fell to his knees. He stood up slowly and wobbled a little. He found his balance and saw a silhouetted figure running away from him down a dimly lit corridor of stone and sand. Darren followed the figure.

_"_Hey, wait up", he called out. The figure didn't seem to hear. It ran around a corner and disappeared from sight. Darren ran to the corner and turned it just in time to see two familiar creatures. His Magician of Black Chaos fired a ball of black lightning through a monster that was easily the Summoned Skull.

A man in a cloak began to laugh. "I hope you don't think that my monster will be anywhere as weak as Rocho's was", he said. He formed a red aura around his hand. "My monster is more than capable of killing you Seventh Guardian". The red aura spiraled from his hand and crashed into the ground. A monster masked by the darkness formed in front of him.

The figure Darren followed in looked up at ten glowing red eyes glaring down at him. "Wha… what is that?" he stuttered. All that was heard was the echo of his enemy's maniacal laughter as his monster was destroyed by an unseen attack. The first figure collapsed to his knees, his eyes in a blank gaze. Everything became dark and Darren couldn't see any trace of the corridor or either person.

"Pretty gruesome stuff, huh?" came a familiar voice behind him. Darren whipped around to see Arcturas with a fake smile on his face, as if shamed.

"You saw it, too?" Darren asked. He watched Arcturas's movements wide-eyed.

"Darren, the person who lost that Shadow Game was me. That's how I came to be trapped inside the Millenium Medallion That is the memory I have before you united the ten black rings".

"I thought you were undefeated though", Darren said. Arcturas's pseudo smile faded quickly.

"I was thought of as undefeatable because only I could wield the power of Thanatos. If I didn't have that monster, I would never have been a guardian of the Pharaoh", he explained.

"Just because someone has great power doesn't mean they're strong. They've got to have heart", came a new voice. From out of the shadows walked the younger version of Darren's father.

"Dad?!" Darren said delightedly surprised. Karl laughed.

"Hey, look at me. I'm much too young to be your father. Just call me Karl", he said. Karl looked at the two people before him. "Arcturas, the power that Thanatos gave you didn't make you strong. It was the desire to protect those you care about that gave you your strength". Arcturas looked down at the boy unconvinced. Karl grinned back at him. "Come on, think back to the people you knew. I know there was someone you cared about; someone who was special to you". Arcturas looked away.

Memories of Destiny and Rocho filled his mind, followed by thoughts of the Pharaoh Atem. The other guardians also swam through his thoughts. "So what, they're dead and gone. I have no one to protect now. And I'm still as strong as ever. And if what you say is true, then why did I lose to Vulcan Flare when I could have easily defeated him if I had so many people to protect?" he questioned.

Karl shook his head. "You'll know that when the time comes".

"That's parent talk for you don't know", Darren said sharply. Karl smiled and put his hand on the back of his head.

"So, you think you're as tough now as when you had people to protect? Do you want to test that theory?" Karl asked. He held up his left wrist and a duel disk appeared on it. A deck covered in green cases filled the deck slot. Arcturas grinned.

"You don't know how long I've waited for a good challenge", Arcturas said with friendly aggression. A shadowy duel disk formed on his wrist and cards melted into place from the shadows. He held out the device and as it activated a black orb slowly lowered into the deck.

"I'll start this game", Karl said and pulled six cards out of his deck slot. "I summon my Familiar Knight (1200, D1400) in attack mode". The man dressed in irno gray armor walked nobly from the shadows. His face was covered by a steel mask. His red cape hung down behind his long sword and great shield. "I end my turn".

Darren looked shocked. _'My father was a great duelist and that's the best he can do for his opening move_'. He thought.

Arcturas drew his card. "I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000) in attack mode. Then I activate my Brain Control magic card. For the cost of 800 points, I can steal your Knight for a turn". The brain's hands reached out and pulled the Familiar Knight over to Arcturas's side of the field. "Attack his life points directly". Karl was hit with a wave of magic as well as a slash from the sword. "I end my turn". The brain disappeared and the Knight jumped back to its post.

Karl- 5000LP

Arcturas- 8000LP

Karl drew his card. "I set one card face down. Then I summon My Seven Colored Fish (A1800, D800) in attack mode". The long fish with a spectrum of scales flailed through the air a few times before locking its eyes on Arcturas. "Next I activate my Last Will magic card. Should I lose a monster this turn, I can search my deck for one with less than 1500 attack points and add it to my hand". Arcturas looked at the piece of paper that landed on the "ground". "Now attack La Jinn". The fish opened its mouth an a torrent of water issued forth and through the Genie. "Now I can bring the monster to my hand. And I can also attack your life points directly with my Familiar Knight". The warrior slashed through Arcturas. I end my turn".

Karl- 5000LP

Arcturas- 6800LP

_'That was a good idea. Da…I mean Karl set up the card and destroyed his own monster so he could get what he needed_', he thought to himself. Karl held his hand up to his deck. The purple insignia lit up and a card whipped out from his deck to his hand.

Arcturas drew his card. "I summon Giant Orc (A2200, D0) in attack mode. Attack his small monster". The gray ogre of a monster raised its bone club and cracked the Knight's skull. "Now my monster goes into defense mode", he said smugly.

Karl- 4000LP

Arcturas- 6800LP

Karl drew his card. There was a proud, excited, bring-it-on grin on his face (much like that of Yami Yugi's). Arcturas however, wore a slightly less proud, exhilarated, I'll-prove-you-wrong grin (like a happy Kaiba). Karl pulled one card out of his hand. "Because you destroyed my Familiar Knight, we can both special summon a monster with four levels or lower". He gently set a card face down. Arcturas pulled a card out.

"My Giant Germ (A1000, D100)", was all he said. The floating purple virus oozed a gray liquid.

"For the beginning of my turn, I flip up my face down Cyber Jar". The white metal capsule sucked in every monster on the field and exploded. "Now that our fields are empty, we now special summon every level four or lower monster from the top five cards of our deck and put the others in our hand.

Arcturas pulled three cards from the five he picked up. "I summon two Giant Germs and set a card face down. And because you destroyed my first Germ, you take 500 points of damage".

"Fair enough', Karl said. "Compared to the hurt I'm about to deal out, 500 points will be nothing". I summon Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness (A1800, D1500) and Marauding Captain (A1200, D400)". The Sea Serpent was a green humanoid with purple armor and a round tipped weapon. The Captain was another man in steel armor holding a long sword in one hand and a grand sword in the other. "Next I flip up my face down Soul Resurrection to bring back my Seven Colored Fish. Then I'll activate my Monster Revive magic card. I must discard one card from my hand to special summon a monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Cyber Jar (A900, D900) in attack mode. "And then I activate Contract with the Abyss. As long as I sacrifice enough monsters, which my Seven Colored Fish and Sea Serpent are, then I can special summon my Magician of Black Chaos (A2800, D2600)". The two monsters were replaced by the grand spellcaster. It swung its scepter around like a bow staff several times before resting in its place.

_'What could Karl be planning with such a big move'_, Darren wondered. _'All these monsters and he hasn't even made a normal summon yet this turn. He's still in his first main phase'_.

Karl looked at the three remaining cards in his hand. "Now that I've got enough monsters on the field, it's time to end this game. I activate two Soul Exchange magic cards. These let me sacrifice your monsters in place of my own. So I choose to sacrifice your face down monster and a Germ, as well as my own Magician to summon…OBELISK THE TORMENTOR (A4000, D4000)". The blue gargantuan monster loomed over the entire field. It's bared yellow teeth clenched together in a menacing grin. Large spike stuck out from the monsters muscular torso.

Arcturas's eyes grew wide with horror. He knelt down on the field, as if in worship of the great monster. "How is it that you were able to come by such a monster", he asked coldly. He did not dare look the monster in the eyes.

Darren too gaped at the enormous monster. It was as big as Thanatos. And its attack points were almost enough to take on the beast residing in Arcturas's deck.

Karl looked out across the field. "Arcturas, stand and take the attack. If you're as powerful as you think, then you'll be able to win this duel", Karl said sternly. Arcturas reluctantly stood up. Karl pointed to the mighty monster. "I tribute the Marauding Captain and the Cyber Jar to Obelisk in order to activate his special ability. With the two offerings, his attack sky rockets to infinite power". Arcturas closed his eyes. Obelisk's body began to change from calm blue to furious red. Steam was leaking from the monster. Its hand emitted an orange glow. Karl pointed his empty hands at Arcturas. "Obelisk, attack with Fist of Fate". The titan punched through the Germ and shook the entire field to the point that Darren fell down on the side lines.

Arcturas dropped the cards remaining in his hand. He stared out across at his opponent. Karl was putting his deck away and the duel disk had faded from existence. Darren stood up and watched the two.

"As you can see Arcturas, you're not as strong as you once were. And without someone to protect, you never will". Arcturas looked angrily at the young duelist.

"And what about you? Who do you protect that makes you so strong?" Arcturas shouted. Karl closed his eyes and smiled. Memories of a young Sabrina Fantasy, a kid with short curly hair, one with long brown hair, an older kid with gray hair and a cigarette in his hand, a boy with short blonde hair and large glasses, all with glowing insignias on their hands. They were followed by Darren, and then countless other faces that are unfamiliar to us.

"I protect everyone that I cared about when I was alive. My care for them made me strong. And even after death, I continue to care and protect them". Arcturas had a pouting look on his face. Darren and Arcturas began to walk to Karl when a great wall of fire cut them off.

"I'M SORRY, BUT THIS LITTLE REUNION IS TO BE CUT SHORT", came an angry voice. In the "sky" formed a fiery dragon's face. "DIE!" the voice shouted. The dragon opened its mouth and let loose a roar of flames. They were coming fast at Darren and Arcturas.

"Obelisk, protect them!", Karl cried. The blue Goliath flew through the wall, flames sticking to parts of its body. Its fists regained their orange glow and the monster held the flames off from the two. Arcturas grabbed a card from his deck.

"Thanatos, destroy that dragon", he hollered. The gargantuan grim reaped spread its skeletal wings and took flight. Its red eyes narrowed on the dragon in the sky and it slammed the scythe right down the middle of the face. The face dissipated.

"YOU GOT LUCKY THIS TIME. BUT IN ROUND TWO, I'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH". The firewall began to shrink, but before it was gone completely, white began to fill the shadows. And a loud banging filled the air.

Darren awoke to a loud banging. He sat bolt upright in his bed and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was nine forty-nine by his clock. "Oh shit, ten minutes", he shouted. He jumped out of bed and hit the ground running. He put on a fresh set of clothes and ran back to his nightstand. He grabbed his deck and the Millenium Medallion. On his way out, he picked up his duel disk. The man in the who had been banging on the door was the same one that met him and Eric at the landing strip the day before.

"You're lucky I came back for you", he said warmly. He hurried Darren down to the main lobby and into a nice-lookin' black sports car. He started the ignition and before Darren had a chance to put his seatbelt on, the man floored it down the street to the city. Within a minute, they were outside a large coliseum. Darren's eyes were bugged out of his skull and it took two extra men to pry him from the seat because of his nervous grasp. He was shaky the entire way to the waiting room where the other finalists were sitting and standing. He collapsed in a chair against the wall.

The man who had them pick numbers yesterday walked in from a flight of stairs. "Ah Smitty, I see you've brought our last finalist", he said looking at Darren. "Now, let's get down to business. In just a few minutes we'll be calling Dale and Sirius to their match. If you'd like, the rest of you may watch from seats specifically set aside for you. Now if you don't mind, I have an announcement to make". He and Smitty walked back through the doorway and up the stairs to the main arena. Eric motioned to Darren and the two of them went through a separate door. The climbed a long staircase and found three empty seats close to the arena. There were no other seats around, they were in front of the rest of the audience.

"This ought to be fun", Eric said.

"Hell yeah", Darren replied. They looked down at the stadium at the man who had just been talking to them.

"**Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the Kingda Ka worldwide Duel Monsters Tournament Finals".** The crowd exploded. **"We hope you enjoy today's entertainment. But let's not waste any time. Our first finalist joins us from Egypt. Let me introduce Dale Laney"**. The boy with red hair and crimson eyes walked out into the round, white arena. He waved to everyone with an mean grin on his face. **"And his opponent, New Zealand's Sirius Canine"**. The boy walked onto the arena.

"Hey if they say where we're from, then you'll be like a local hero", Darren whispered to Eric. Eric chuckled, but didn't take his eyes off the stage.

**"Now that our combatants are here, let the first duel get under war".** Dead silence fell over the crowd. Both boys stared each other down while the y shuffled their decks. They slipped them into the correct decks and the piece of gold that hangs around Dale's neck gave a quick shimmer. He gave a cold look into the boys eyes. Darren watched and sense something familiar from Dale. Dale drew six cards from his deck.

"I'll start with Solar Flare Dragon (A1500, D1000) in attack mode". His voice made a light, humming echo that filled the arena. But strangely, he talked very softly but his voice still carried to the back of the screaming audience. From his projectors, a serpentine dragon made of molten rock with long curved horns roared at Sirius. "Then I'll set one card face down and end my turn".

Sirius pulled six cards out of his duel disk at once. He spoke with a heavy Australian accent. "I activate my Dog Yees (Years) magic cod (card) to destroy yaw (your) face down cod". The card shattered. "Next I summon Koi-ote, Hunta (Hunter) of Sirius (A1600, D1400)". A brown dog monster standing on its hind legs howled when it appeared. A quiver rested on the monsters back and a bow in its hand. "Next I give him Canine Denshes (Dentures) to boost his attack points by 600 points". The dog's eyes became blood shot as its teeth grew out of proportion. "Attack his dragon". The dog fired an arrow into the molten dragon. "I end moi (my) turn".

Dale- 7300LP

Sirius- 8000LP

Dale drew his card but didn't look at it. He closed his hand and looked at Dale. "Let's make this duel a little more fun". Sirius looked puzzled. Dale grinned and the piece of gold around his neck started glowing. A dark blanket of cloud spread throughout the entire coliseum. "Ah, much better. Now then, I activate my Change of Heart magic card so that I may take your dog for one turn". The Hunter stood on all fours on Dale's field. Sirius looked mad that his dog was down on all of its legs. "next I'll sacrifice it for Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv6 (A2300, D1600). The silver bird-like dragon soared in the sky of the darkness.

Darren looked around at the rest of the building. _'Please don't tell me this is what I think it is_', he thought.

_'I'm afraid so Darren. We're in the Shadow Realm'_, Arcturas responded.

_'That's right, that means the loser of the duel loses his soul'_. Echoed Cairo's voice.

"Attack his life points directly with Black Flame Breath", Dale ordered. The dragon charged up its attack and fired a stream of black inferno. "I end my turn".

Dale- 7300LP

Sirius- 5700LP

Sirius drew his next card. _'I don't know what this bloke did, but I don't like it_', he thought. "I activate moi field card Wolf Moon". A big full moon with shadows that looked like a wolf's head appeared in the air. "Now because I played that little numbah, I can special summon Wolfe, Knight of Sirius (A2600, D2100). When he inflicts damage, I can declay (declare) a level of monstah (monster) and if you have any monstahs of that level, you must discod (discard) them all". Dale didn't look bothered at all. "Attack his dragon". The wolf leapt into the air at the dragon an swung a great sword right through it.

"So what level do you choose?" Dale asked.

_'How is he able to call the Shadow Realm? I don't see a ring on his hand. But what about that piece of gold that's around his neck? Is it a Millenium Item_?' Darren asked.

_'No I don't think it is. It looks more like…NO! It's impossible, it can't be'_.

_'What?_' Darren asked. Arcturas didn't answer.

"I choose level three monsters". Dale looked down at his hand and shook his head with a smug grin on his face. Sirius motioned the end of his turn".

Dale- 7000LP

Sirius- 5700LP

Dale drew his card. "If my theory is correct, your monster can only be on the field when the moon is full, right?" he asked. Sirius nodded his head. "Then that means he will disappear when I use my Mystical Space Typhoon on the Wolf Moon, destroying it and your monster". A fierce wind blew the moon from view and the wolf monster was destroyed. "Now your field is empty again. So I'll summon Little Chimera (A600, D550) in attack mode. And when he's on the field, all fire type monsters gain 500 attack points, including itself. Then I'll give it the Black Pendant, giving it a total of 1000 extra points". The black Necklace formed around the small animal's neck. "Attack his life points directly". The tiny mammal spit a small ball of fire at Sirius. "I end my turn".

Dale- 7000LP

Sirius- 4100LP

Sirius drew a card. "I set one monstah face down in defense mode. Then I set a cod face down and end moi turn".

Dale drew his card. _'Man, Dale's hitting Sirius pretty hard but Sirius can only hit him with tiny little strikes'_, Darren thought.

_'Of course Dale's doing good. He's one of the greatest duelists out there. He's had almost 5000 years to practice'_, Arcturas thought back.

_'WHAT!?' _Darren thought.

"I set two cards face down and send Little Chimera to attack your monster". The small animal spit another fireball and destroyed that face down card.

"Reveal face down trap caod, Dog Eat Dog", Sirius cried. "When you destroy one of my monstahs, I can destroy one of yaws (yours)". Dale's monster burst into data bits.

"I end my turn".

Sirius drew a card and his face fell. "I end moi turn". Up in thee crowd, the spectators had started booing.

**"Oh and it seems that Sirius Canine hasn't anything to play. This is truly a bad moment for this duelist**"the announcer stated.

Dale drew his card with delight. "I activate my Call of the Haunted to revive my Black Flame Dragon". The bird dragon roared. "Attack his life points directly". The monster blew a wave of black fire over Sirius. "I end my turn".

Dale- 7000LP

Sirius- 1800LP

Sirius drew his next card. "I set moi Mecha Dog Marron (A1000, D1000) in defense mode. Then I'll end moi turn. But I should wahn (warn) you, you don't want to attack this monstah".

Dale grinned at the tiny mechanical dog. "Alright, then I won't". He drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed to allow myself to draw two cards. "Then I'll set one monster face down and end my turn".

Sirius drew his card. "I sacrifice moi Mecha Dog Marrron, berning (burning) 1000 life points from you to summon Jackal, the Feral (A2100, D2050) in attack mode". A rabid black and gray dog standing on hind legs stared angrily at Dale. "Attack his face down monstah". The monster ran at Dale's monster and swung a paw.

"Reveal face down trap card, Shadow Spell. Your monster is frozen on the field", Dale announced.

"I end moi turn", Sirius muttered. Horus's attack points dropped to 2000. "By the way, Jackal's effect weakens your monster's attack points by 300 at each of my end phases". Dale just continued smiling.

Dale- 6000LP

Sirius- 1800LP

"Hey, it looks like Sirius has finally on top of things", Eric said to Darren.

_'Yeah, maybe he'll win this after all'_, he thought.

_'No, this duel is already over. Sirius can't beat Dale'_, Arcturas replied. Darren decided not to ask this time.

"I summon my Blazing Inpachi (A1850, D0), in attack mode. I end my turn by setting one card face down". The burning statue of wood towered over the other monsters on the field.

Sirius drew the card on the top of his deck. "I activate Croy (Cry) to the Moon. This lets me special summon a second Jackal if I have one". A second rabid dog formed on the field. "But Croy to the Moon skips moi battle phase, so I end moi turn".

Dale looked pleased with his draw. "I sacrifice Blazing Inpachi, Horus, and UFO Turtle to summon Subterranean Lava Dragon (A3000, D2500)". The three monsters disappeared in a column of fire. When they reappeared, they were now in the form of a larger molten serpent dragon with long fiery hair. Darren recognized it instantly as the dragon face from his dream and gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Eric asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing", Darren quickly said. _'Arcturas, that's the'_.

_'Yes Darren. Sirius isn't coming out of this duel'_.

"My monster does not destroy monsters, here merely burns through them. Allow me to demonstrate. Attack the paralyzed Jackal". The dragon blasted the dog with a rage of flames. The dog did not break, but Sirius felt the pain. "See, your monster is unharmed. Which means I can sacrifice both of your monsters for Lava Golem".

"What? You can't tribute moi monstahs for yaws". Sirius protested.

"Actually, with Lava Golem I can. I sacrifice your monsters instead of mine and the monster goes on your side of the field. So you get a monster with 3000 attack points, the same amount as my Dragon". The molten lava blob rose around Sirius, imprisoning him inside a steel cage wrapped around the monster's neck. "The only downside is, that monster will burn you for 1000 points every one of your standby phases". Sirius's eyes grew wide. "I end my turn".

Dale- 6000LP

Sirius- 900LP

The molten monster collapsed around Sirius, smothering him in lava. Dale grinned, and the Shadow Realm started to retreat from the emerging light. The molten mess disappeared and Sirius was no where to be seen. **"Um…It seems that Dale Laney is the winner of the first round of the finals.** **As tradition in our tournament, once you win a match in the finals, you receive all of the bet cards that your opponent has won, including their own bet card. So let's see what Dale has won"**. Six cards bubbled from the ground at Dale's feet. He bent over and picked them up. The announcer ran over to him with a microphone. **"Tell us what you've won from this duel".**

Dale took the microphone. "I won Sirius's deck leader, Sirius Leader of the Pack. I also won Mechanical Hound, Cyber End Dragon, Water Dragon, Cyber Blader, Cyber Barrier Dragon, and Cyber Laser Dragon". The crowd went wild upon hearing of the cards.

**'Well congratulations on your victory Dale. We will be starting the next duel shortly". ** Dale walked across the arena and left down the stairs.

"Crazy stuff huh?" Eric asked, but Darren wasn't there.

At the bottom of the stairs, Dale ran into Darren. But Darren's hair was black and his eyes were filled with hollow rage. The Millenium Medallion around his neck was glowing. A dark aura was surrounding his body. A flaming red aura quickly arose around Dale. "Long time, no see Seventh Guardian; Arcturas the Undefeatable", Dale said maliciously and grinned.

A sneer washed over Arcturas's face. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Vulcan Flare".

**Whoa, why is Arcturas calling Dale Laney, Vulcan Flare? Anyways, the first duel of the tournament finals are over. And Arcturas has tasted defeat against Darren's father. What will happen next time on The Seventh Guardian?"**


	20. Priview to Next Fanfiction

**I have a little surprise for everyone that reads this fanfiction. So really, I'm just talking to Andre. I'm having a very hard time concentrating on this. I've restarted the next chapter like 4 times already because I keep losing focus. The thing is, I really want to try writing a Naruto fanfic. I'll still work on this, but just not for awhile. Anyways, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of it. BTW, some of the lines are likely to change. Mostly it's just ideas for quotes. **

**New Characters**

"Shinken, don't forget to eat your breakfast. You want to be at your top physical condition when you meet your sensei", an old woman with stunning red eyes calls out. A teenage girl with similar eyes enters the room and sits down at the kitchen table.

"Thanks for reminding me grandma" the girl said as she began to eat.

A young ninja stared at the sensei. The older man's features were masked by the shadows of the tree at night. "The signs around you are seals", the sensei said in a deep voice. "You will hate the seals at first, but you will learn to live with them and they will make you stronger", explained the sensei

"I accept, I'll take the seals", the young ninja said. He held out his arms.

"I hope you have a high tolerance for pain", the sensei said.

A ninja with short spiky brown hair stood up on a rock. "I'm the greatest ninja to come out of the Village Hidden in the plains. And I'll prove it someday", he shouted. The girl with red eyes smiled up at him. Next to her stood a blonde boy with a less-than-impressed look on his face.

A young boy with a scared look on his face quickly goes from fearful to angry. The boy transforms into a bear and roars. He swings his claws at another boy who quickly dodges the attack by jumping backward.

Another young ninja dressed in strange, almost tribal, clothes with long, spiky red hair and golden locks leaps high into the air and does a mid-air attack on another ninja.

A larger, round ninja jumps into the air and stomps on the ground, sending out a seismic shockwave.

A girl with a malicious grin on her face holds her hand up to reveal a kunai sticking out of it and blood gushing from the wound. "You've never witnessed jutsu quite like mine", she said excitedly.

"You see those three ninja", a boy said nervously pointing to three teenagers dressed in black standing together at a distance. "They're the only three ninja to ever come out of the Village Hidden in the Swamps".

**New Justus**

The girl with the kunai in her hand grinned and charged at another ninja. "Ninja Art: Blood Saber Jutsu", she cried. The blood dripping from her hand formed into a red, liquid long sword.

The boy with blonde hair stood his ground against a charging enemy. "Reversal Force", he shouted. The enemy slammed into the blonde boy's hands and flew backward.

A boy with long, dark hair and lavender eyes held his hand out as chakra began to spin rapidly in it. Spinning around the chakra were snow crystals. The boy began charging. "Ice Release: Rasengan", he roared.

A man with a spiky red Mohawk raised a fistful of chakra above his head and opened his hand. "Fire Release: Dragon of Despair", he shouted as a ghostly flaming dragon shout from his palm.

One of the ninja from the Village in the Swamps narrowed his eyes and held up a hand sign. "Darkness Release: Shadow Shield Jutsu" he muttered. His shadow reached off the ground, just in time to stop the attack from connecting with him.

**New Problems**

"There is a ninja out there traveling the land and killing other ninja so he can use their jutsu", an older ninja said to a group of children

"A member of one of the greatest ninja clans has defected. There has been a flee-on-sight issue warranted because of her", reports an official to the girl with red eyes and the boy with spiky brown hair.

"The five phantoms are not just myths, they are real ninjas. And it's impossible to get anywhere near them undetected", says a sensei with bandages over his eyes and dark sunglasses over the bandages.

"How can we stop him? He has a limitless supply of chakra and he enjoys pain. HE'S UNSTOPPABLE!!", the ninja from the Village in the Swamps shouted.

"Those curse marks on his body practically keep him from being human", the girl from the Swamp Village explains to the girl with red eyes. The two of them sit in a meadow by river

"He…he put a curse on my Sharingan".

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!. MY EYES!! You bastard. AHH!!", shouts the ninja with long hair and lavender eyes. He held his bleeding face.

"With wounds like those…he'll never be able to use the Byakugan again".

**The first Naruto fic by Lord Nysakeo: Endless Dark**


	21. The Finals Heat Up, Three Shadow Games

Stronger than Death

At the bottom of the stairs, Dale ran into Darren. But Darren's hair was black and his eyes were filled with hollow rage. The Millenium Medallion around his neck was glowing. A dark aura was surrounding his body. A flaming red aura quickly arose around Dale. "Long time, no see Seventh Guardian; Arcturas the Undefeatable", Dale said maliciously and grinned.

A sneer washed over Arcturas's face. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Vulcan Flare". Flare chuckled softly, but darkly, never moving his crimson eyes from Arcturas. Arcturas' fingers clenched tightly around his serpent staff. "What is so funny? It looks to me like you are still the same pathetic fool you were the last time we met".

Flare threw his head back and laughed deeply. "Pathetic!? Do my ears deceive me? If I'm not mistaken, it was I who defeated you and sealed your soul in the Millennium Medallion. And you're calling me weak. I think being crammed in there for so long has damaged your memory old friend". Flare spoke with such pride in his passed accomplishment.

Arcturas closed his eyes and grinned. "So tell me", he opened his eyes "who defeated you? It's obvious you are soulbound to that fragment around your neck". The guardian pointed at the golden talisman hanging from Flare's neck. It gave a quick flash and Flare was standing in Dale's place. His long red hair falling into his beard of the same color. The long scar on his cheek was just as noticeable as ever. His entire body was covered by a black cloak. The golden artifact still hung around his neck.

"Ah, it was that cursed Pharaoh. Shortly after defeating you, I confronted your king alongside the Dark Priest and engaged in combat. Unfortunately, I was no match for the Pharaoh's three great Allies". Arcturas tightened his grip on the staff even further.

"YOU SNAKE!! He was your king as well as my own. You swore your life to serving him and you betrayed him in his darkest hour. You deserve a fate worse than anything the Shadow Realm could ever deal you. Sadly, sending you to the Shadow Realm is the worse thing I can do to you". Arcturas' eyes gleamed white as he raised his staff over his head. "Enjoy eternity in OBLIVION!" he roared. The eyes of the staff faded to a piercing black. "FINAL FLAME!!" The embers streamed at Flare, engulfing him in a roar of heat. Part of the flames moved, revealing to Arcturas, Flare, completely unscathed.

"Did you actually think that would work? A fire spell on me?" The spell died away. "I'll show you a real fire spell. RUSH OF INFERNO!!" An eight sided star traced itself on the floor in fire around Arcturas. Flames flowered our of the ground, surrounding Arcturas. Flare turned and filled his face with a sinister smile. "So ends that little nuisance". The fire dispelled and an orb of light was left in it's place. Flare turned around. "What is that!?"

"No matter how powerful a spell you come up with, I'll be able to use it's power for myself. That was known as Draining Shield. It feeds me the power you use in a spell you send at me. And with that power, I can use this spell. RIAGEKI!!" Lightning cracked the air between them.

Flare's eyes widened as the bolts came straight at him. "MIRROR WALL!!" The bolts crashed into the wall and ran through out the reflective glass and continued on to Flare. He let out scream in agony. The wall shattered and he knelt down.

'_Lucky I used the Mirror Wall to weaken that attack, or it would have been the end of me'._ Flare stood up. "I don't have time to waste on you. I'll leave you to my pet". He turned and walked up a flight of stairs. But darkness surrounded Arcturas, not letting him leave the hallway. A noise echoed from one of the staircases. It echoed louder. It sounded like muffled breathing.

From the staircase in front of Arcturas emerged the duelist with the skull face. "Finally…a chance to face you. My lord…Master Flare…he told me…I would eventually get to duel you. Go on…hit me with you're best shot…I can withstand anything". The fearsome duelist took long pauses as he spoke, almost as if he kept losing train of thought in while talking. He drew a small knife and started walking toward Arcturas. "Or I…shall make the first attack". Arcturas merely raised his hand at the stranger. "SPARKS" he shouted. Red sparks flew from his hands at his enemy, covering his body in small fires. The skull faced boy stopped momentarily to shake the sparks off and continued walking.

'_How did he do that? Even Flare and I would have at least flinched from an attack like that_'. Arcturas slammed his staff on the ground in front of him. "Your name is Eddie, right? Well I am afraid here is where your following of Flare comes to and end".

Eddie snickered. "You're wrong…I cannot be harmed by your magic. Master Flare…he taught me to withstand spells…they have no effect on me". He stepped ever closer to Arcturas.

_'That does not sound too good for me. How can I defeat someone who I can not hurt?'_ Arcturas "SHADOW SPELL", he shouted. Black steel chains spawned from the ground and wrapped around Eddie. He kept walking and phased through the chains.

"I told you…no spell can affect me…I'm immune". Arcturas took a few steps back. He eyed the knife in the fiend's hand.

"Then let us see you resist a dragon spell". He cupped the palms of his hands together like for the Kamehameha wave. "BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!!" An all too familiar beam of white lightning erupted from the palms of his hands. It collided with Eddie, pushing him back to the other side of the room. When the beam subsided, Eddie resumed walking. "NO!! That is impossible! There is no way you could have survived that!"

"Dragon magic…is still magic. I am immune to any spell…you might have". Arcturas wrenched his staff from the ground.

"It looks as though I may need some help". He closed his eyes and held out his right hand. A dark purple aura flowed around it. "SPIRIT SUMMON: MAGICIAN OF BLACK CHAOS!!" The dark mage rose from the shadowed ground. It swung its staff around like a baton. "Seal him in the Shadow Realm! CHAOS SCEPTOR BLAST!!" An orb of black lightning with pink bolts formed on the ground and expanded as it flew at Eddie. Smoke rose off Eddie's shoulders and head. But still he continued his slow walk. His wide eyes inspected both of the spell casters.

"I'm going to need to keep your monster occupied. SPIRIT SUMMON: DESPAIR FROM THE DARK!!" Out of the ground leaped a skull faced monster with two longs horns. It held two very oversized claws in front of it. It was only visible for a second before merging with the darkness of the Shadow Realm.

"Keep a sharp eye out for it" Arcturas commanded. A purple light shown from his eyes, allowing him to see through the dark. Before he could spot the dark monster, he felt its large claw wrap itself around his body. Arcturas looked back to see its macabre face. The Magician of Black Chaos fired off a ball of lightning into the creature's face. Arcturas watched his ally follow the wicked monster, forgetting about Eddie. That is, until he felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked back at Eddie. The knife was lodged in his lung and already covered in his blood.

Back at the arena, the spectators were settling down from the previous duel. The announcer walked onto the dueling field. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we still have not found Sirius. It seems as though he has just vanished into thin air. But we feel that it is time we get our next match under way. So please give around of applause to our next duelist, The Overlord". The girl with blonde, off-level hair walked onto the circular stage and into the middle. She took a bow and continued to the far side of the field. "The Overlord entered the Tournament with her bet card as Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Darkworld". The crowd cheered for the young girl.  
"And next we have her contender. Introducing the beauty of Egypt, Talon". The woman in the clothes bulma wore at the end of the first season of Dragonball stepped up to the arena. She smiled and waved to the crowd. Every guy in the stands leaned forward in their seats. She blew a kiss into the air and winked. The guys went crazy, filling the enter stadium with cheers. All of the attention disappeared from the Overlord. She pulled the hood from her sweatshirt over her head. "Talon's bet card when she entered the tournament was Exxod, Master of the Guard. Now, without any further delay, let this duel get underway". He strode quickly off the stage and the duelists activated their duel disks.

Overlord pulled six cards from duel disk as Talon drew her five. She quickly glanced over the cards and selected one. "I'll start with Graceful Charity. I'll draw three cards and discard two". She slipped out three more cards and set two of them in the graveyard slot. "And by discarding two of my Broww, Huntsmen of Dark World, I can draw another two cards. And I'll finish by summoning Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (A1600, D1300)". Like all of the Dark World monsters, this fiend was a grotesque demon with sharp teeth and razor claws.

Talon hadn't looked at her cards yet. She stared down the monster, analyzing it for a weakness. Her eyes gave a quick golden flash and she drew her sixth card. "My opening move will be Pot of Greed". A green pot with an oversized grin rose from the ground. Two cards flew from the top and into Talons hand and the pot exploded. "I'll set one card face down in defense mode. Then I shall set one card face down and end my turn". The men in the crowd found it difficult to tear there eyes away from Talon and watch Overlord as she took her turn.

The hooded girl picked up a new card. "I summon Bronn, Mad King of Dark World (A1800, D1400)". Another demon took a battle stance in front of Overlord. "I'll follow that by playing Dark World Dealings. When I drop this card, we both draw one card and then we throw a card into the graveyard. I'll toss my Khaki, Guerilla of Dark World into the graveyard so its special ability can activate. I can destroy your face down monster". The face down card flickered as a stone statue with a wooden shield and armed with a metal staff appeared above it and shattered into data particles.

"Because of your monster, my Golem Sentry's special ability activates. I can select one monster on your side of the field and return it to your hand. And I choose to return Bronn". The sinister demon turned into a ball of light and flew back into Overlord's hand. "And I'll discard my Hiercosphinx".

Overlord pointed at Talon. "Beiige, attack her life points directly". The demon leapt in front of Talon and jabbed her with his long claws. It leaped back in front of Overlord. "I end my turn".

Overlord- 8000LP

Talon- 6400LP

Talon drew up her card. _'I see. Her deck revolves around discarding cards to activate their effects. Her monsters are pretty strong to begin with. And those effects just make them fiercer. I can't stop her from discarding. But I can stop her monsters from getting to m life points with my stone walls'_, she thought.

"I'll set another card face down. And I'll place another card face down in defense mode. I end my turn there".

"Talon finishes her second turn the same way as her first, with just face down cards on the field. She seems to be forgetting the first rule of dueling, you can't win without attacking", the announcer's voice echoed.

"COME ON TALON, YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!! I LOVE YOU!!" a man cried from the stands. The rest of the crows cheered and applauded with him. Talon waved to the man in the stands and blew another kiss into the stadium. Overlord zipped up the front of her sweatshirt.

She drew her next card. "To start this turn, I activate the Cheerful Coffin. I can now discard up to three cards from my hand". She inserted three more cards into the graveyard. "I got rid of my third and final Broww, allowing me to draw another card. I also discarded Silva, War Lord of Dark World (A2300, 1400) and Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World (A2500, 2800)". Her graveyard emitted a bright white light. "When I discard those two monsters, I'm allowed to special summon them from the graveyard". Data particles rained from the graveyard slot and configured themselves on the field. Silva and Beiige knelt down as Reign-Beaux took the field. He was enormous in comparison to his subordinates. He looked down at Talon and let out a booming roar.

Talon took a few steps back, holding her free wrist between herself and the monstrosity. _'Shit! She's already summoned her deck's leader. And I have nothing to stop it_'.

"Silva, attack her face down monster". The demon clad in silver armor rushed across the arena and dug its claws into the back of the card. Another Golem Sentry rose out of it and burst into pieces. "No! Not another one".

"Mhm. And just like before, it returns a monster to your hand", Talon said smugly. Reign-Beaux was reduced to a ball light and returned to Overlord's hand.

"Don't worry; Reign-Beaux will be back out again soon. And then, there will be nothing to protect you from his onslaught". Overlord retorted. She pulled her hood back off her head. "I finish my turn by attacking with Beiige". Beiige again clawed at Talon's abdomen.

Overlord- 8000LP

Talon- 4800LP

Talon drew a card but didn't add it to her hand right away. _'I see, so that's how she is. I see how she works and how she duels_'.

_'You're exactly right, Talon. Now that you know her weakness, exploit it and make her terrified. Make her welcome the Shadow Realm when you are finished her_', Cairo's voice sounded in her head. Talon looked up at Cairo in the stands. The golden eye tattoo on his head was shining under his hair.

"So, Overlord, your monsters are quite fearsome. In fact, that last one you summoned had me shaking in my sandals. But I couldn't help but wonder why a quiet little girl like you would use such big, horrifying creatures. But then I noticed the little gesture you do with that sweatshirt of yours". Overlord's eyes widened. "It's true, I see you for what you are. You come off like you're a force to be reckoned with. Using a name like Overlord and playing with monsters like the Dark World set. You want people to think of you as someone strong. You want them to think twice before doing anything hurtful to you.

But the truth is, you're not like that at all. You long to be big, and scary, and safe from the hurtful words of others. You long to be like your monsters. But you're not. You're just a scared little girl who hides behind those demons. Well I have news for you. They can't protect you from me. Just like that jacket can't protect you from everyone else here. I noticed you put your hood up whenever you feel scared. You keep finding was to conceal yourself in it, to hide yourself from everyone else. But just listen, everyone here is cheering for me. No one is on your side. Nobody wants you to win". Overlord looked around the stadium and realized that everyone was rooting for Talon to win.

"What you are most afraid of is rejection and being alone. You're wearing your hood because you're afraid that the audience will see your fear and reject you, so you try and hide it. It does not matter though. Don't you remember? They were with me the moment I walked onto the stage. At that very second, you were left with no supporters. I have everyone on my side and they have the same dream I do. To see you crushed under my stone monsters!" Overlord's lower lip trembled. She looked down. She grabbed her duel arm by the elbow with her free hand rubbed it slightly. "Go on, face it. You're all alone here in the ring. No one is with you. They all rejected you for me".

Overlord pulled out a pair of gloves from her pocket and slipped them on. She continued to pull out a mask of a demon and put it on over her face. A burning hot tear ran down her face. _'She's right. Nobody wants me to win. I am all alone here. I'm nothing like my monsters. They're strong and fearsome. I'm small, weak, and worthless. But as long as I have life points, I might as well try'_.

Talon looked at the card she drew. "I set a monster face down in defense mode. Then I reveal my face down card, Raigeki Break". The pink card stood up to display its face. "By discarding Ceasefire, I can destroy one card on your field. And my target is Silva". A bolt of lightning cracked across the field at Silva, destroying the ferocious demon. "I see that you've covered every inch of your body. You're hidden yourself under all of that to separate yourself from this world. But you don't need to worry…". The red ring on her finger was glowing. Talon's eyes gave another golden flash. Her shadow began to rise off the ground and surround the entire arena. "…because once this game is over, you'll be spending the rest of eternity alone in the dark".

Arcturas ripped the knife out of his side and threw it on the ground. He leapt backward and held his staff with both hands in front of him. "Ugh…bitch!" He held one of his hands to his side where his wound was. "Let us see you escape this. TREMENDOUS FIRE!!" A scorching firestorm bathed Eddie. Arcturas looked into the flames and saw a silhouetted figure move. He held his hand up and spread his fingers, intensifying the flames. He turned to see his monster. The Magician of Black Chaos fired another ball of black lightning into the Despair From the Dark. The grim beast dissipated into the shadow, leaving the Magician helpless.

"Here, this is for you", Arcturas called out. "SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT!!" Three swords suspended themselves in the air. They gave off a white light, revealing the location of the demon. The mage nodded to Arcturas. The guardian turned around to witness Eddie walking out of the flames.

"I suppose I forgot to mention…I was taught one spell…by Flare. SWORDS OF CONCEILING LIGHT!!" The floating swords turned black, cutting off the light for the Mage. "And this one. MULTIPLY!!" Eddie's body glowed white for a second before separating into two Eddies. Those two Eddies split into four Eddies. Each Eddie kept dividing into two Eddies. Arcturas felt a sharp pain in his back. He looked behind him and saw Eddie's grinning face. His hand had blood on it. Arcturas jumped away and reached up his back to find a knife handle sticking out. He wrenched out the knife and bit his lip till it bled.

_'Great, now I have an army of those things to get rid of. How can I…wait, I think I have it. He keeps using the darkness. That is all he has done. Maybe, I just have to use the opposite of Shadow'._ Arcturas slammed his staff in the ground and formed a hand seal. He shut his eyes and held the seal steady. The staff in the ground shook and Arcturas opened his eyes. A blinding white light was shining from them.

"ARRAY OF REVEALING LIGHT!!" The entire Shadow Realm was filled with a blinding light rising from the ground. All of the Eddies dropped to the ground and began to writhe. They screamed as smoke rose from their bodies. "Perfect. Now that they are weakened, it is time to hit them with the big guns. UMI!!" A flood of water pooled on the illuminated ground from the eyes of the staff. Arcturas sneered and jumped into the air. "RAIGEKI!!" He threw the lightning bolt into the water. The bolt spread out and ran through each and every Eddie. The skull faced boy shrieked in pain. All of the clones shattered like duel monsters, leaving only one Eddie lying in the water.

"I may have lost…but my Despair From the Dark…will be more than you can handle", He closed his eyes and sank into the ground as shadows wrapped around him. Arcturas turned around to the two monsters engaged in combat.

"I am growing weary of that creature. SPELLBINDING CIRLCE!!" A magic circle of with seals intertwined in it locked around the demonic monster. The Magician of Black Chaos landed next to Arcturas. "What do you say to us both finishing it off?" The Magician nodded his head in response. Both sorcerers raised their staffs over their heads. "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!!" Arcturas roared. Two waves of darkness erupted from the end of the staffs and blasted the Despair From the Dark to pieces. Beads of sweat on Arcturas glistened from the light on the floor. He looked at his partner next to him. "Good job old friend". The spell caster nodded with a noble look on its face before disappearing. The Shadow Realm and the water on the floor dissipated, leaving Arcturas alone in the hallway. He turned toward the staircase.

Emerging from the stairs behind Eric was Darren. "Hey, what'd I miss?" he asked. Eric gave Darren and 'Are you kidding?' look. "What?"

"Um, only the first few turns of a great duel. Where did you go?" Eric asked. Darren sat down in his chair and looked like he was thinking.

"Oh, I uh…went to the bathroom. But I got lost", he answered. Eric nodded unconvincingly. Darren looked out into the arena, only, to realize that the entire stadium was dark. "So, what's happening?"

Eric leaned forward. "Well, that Overlord girl was winning. But Talon just said a few things that messed with her head. And the black cloud filled the arena again. So I'm not even sure what's gonna happen now". Darren looked over the playing field.

Overlord drew her card. "I…I activate my Dragged Down into the Grave magic card. We look at each others' hands. Then we discard a card from our opponents hand". Talon showed her hand first. Overlord looked it over. "I'll discard your bet card, Exxod". Talon took the said card from her hand and slipped into the graveyard. "And now you choose". Overlord held up her own hand.

Talon's eyes began to glow golden. "I'll get rid of one of your Scarr, Scout of Darkworld". Overlord laid the card in her graveyard.

"I'll continue my turn by summoning my other Scarr (A500, D500) in attack mode". The revolting little demon took up a battle stance next to Beiige. "And I'll attack your face down card with my Vanguard of Darkworld". Beiige ran across the arena and slammed its claws into the back of its target. A big blue rat flickered and shattered into dust.

"That was my Giant Rat. When it's destroyed on the field, I can special summon a monster so long as its of the earth type and has an attack strength of less than 1500. So I set this monster face down".

"I end my turn", Overlord declared.

Talon drew a card from the top of her deck. "I'll set one card a face down. That'll be it for this turn".

Dale Laney leaned back in his chair. '_Talon's playing is very weak. She hides behind mediocre cards. She never makes and attack. It's very boring to watch',_ he thought.

_'I don't know. I rather enjoy watching Talon's duels. She usually starts off bad. But she has a way of bouncing back. Her style is the best offense is a strong defense'_, Cairo's voice replied.

_'Well it doesn't look like she has a strong offense or defense in front of her. It seems like she's struggling just to keep monsters on the field',_ Flare's voice rebuttaled.

Cairo's voice laughed. _'Well why don't we just let the game finish before you judge how well Talon plays'_, Cairo responded.

_'Sounds to me like you've got some strong feelings to be defending her like that, Cairo'_. Cairo's voice merely made a short "ha" and Dale looked over at his subordinate to see him shaking his head but staring into the arena.

Overlord drew her card. "I'll summon my next Bronn. Then I'll attack your face down card with Beiige". The attack monster rushed forward before its ally could even materialize. It struck the back of the card, but couldn't break through it.

"Ha! It looks like my Balloon Lizard is too strong for your monsters", Talon poked.

"I end my turn", Overlord muttered.

Overlord- 7700 LP

Talon- 4800 LP

Talon drew a card. "I'll put one counter on my lizard. When I sacrifice it, I can deal you 400 points of damage. Then I'll set one card face down in defense mode". A face down card floated on the field next to the Balloon Lizard. "I end m turn".

Overlord drew her next card. She inspected each card in her hand from behind her mask. "I won't play anything this turn. Instead I'll just attack your face down monster with Bronn, Mad King of Darkworld". Bronn's eyes gave off an eerie red light. They widened as far as his lids would let him and fired two beams of light at the face down card.

"Reveal face down trap card, Magic Cylinder". Two enormous cylinders with strange designs painted on them materialized in front of the attack. The eye beams flew into on of the canisters and disappeared. "These cylinders redirect your attack back at your own life points". The second cylinder's opening was blanketed by a red light. Bronn's attack was released as a single, larger bolt of energy. The attack crashed into Overlord, causing her to double over.

Overlord straightened herself out. _'Sheesh, why'd that hurt? I've never been hurt by a direct attack before. It must be all the stress of this duel'_.

"And also reveal trap card, Pyramid of Light". A bright star glistened overhead and fired a beam of light into a corner of the arena. It traced out a large square around the two duelists, leaving a ray of light at each corner, eventually forming a transparent pyramid around the field"

_'What does this card do'_, Overlord thought to herself. She looked out the eye holes of her mask and inspected the pyramid.

"I'll end my turn", she announced.

Overlord- 5900 LP

Talon- 4800 LP

Talon drew her card. "Now to give you a little lesson in pain. I sacrifice both my Balloon Lizard and my face down card to summon Sphinx Telia (A2500, D3000)". The two monsters were replaced by a pink-haired woman's head on a gray cat body. The chimerical beast opened its mouth and let out a feminine roar at Overlord, who drew back a bit. "Telia, attack her smallest, weakest monster". Talon pointed to Scarr, Scout of Darkworld. Telia pounced on the small demon and sank her long fangs into it. The monster roared in pain and burst into data particles. "And Telia's ability lets her deal battle damage to you, no matter what position you monster was in". Overlord held her stomach in pain. "I end my turn".

Overlord- 3500 LP

Talon- 4800 LP

Overlord drew her card. _'I can't let her do this. I have to beat her. I was doing so well in the beginning and now she's about to catch up. Why does this always happen? Every time I duel, I always start off fine. But I always end up feeling like a loser and then I lose. I can't let my cards down. I have to win_'.

"I set one card face down and activate Gateway to Darworld. This will let me bring back Silva. Then I'll sacrifice Bronn and Beiige to summon Reign-Beaux back to the field". The king of the Darkworld demons reappeared on the field. "Reign-Beaux, attack Telia". The grand demon grabbed the sphinx by the throat and squeezed it. In response, Telia swung a great claw into Reign-Beaux, causing both monsters to explode. "And now that your field is clear, I'll attack you directly with Silva". Silva opened its mouth and fired a beam of light blue energy at Talon, catching her in the chest. Talon clasped where she was hit, which was smoking. "I end my turn".

Overlord- 3500 LP

Talon- 2500

Talon drew her card. "Reveal face down card", Overlord cried, "Call of the Haunted. With this, I can bring back Reign-Beaux".

Talon laughed. "It doesn't matter. I activate my magic card, Heavy Storm, destroying every magic and trap card on the field". The inside of the pyramid was filled with a rush of wind, lightning, and rain. The pyramid crumbled and Reign-Beaux sank back into the darkness. "I'll play one card face down and a monster face down in defense mode. I end my turn".

Overlord picked up the top card in her deck. "I activate my magic card, Card Destruction. We both discard our hands and draw cards equal to the amount we threw away". Both of the girls picked up new hands. "And I threw away my third and final Khaki, allowing me to destroy your face down monster. And now Silva, attack her life points directly".

"Reveal face down card, Ordeal of a Traveler. According to this trap, every time you declare an attack you have to guess what kind of card I'm holding. If you get it right, then nothing happens. But if you call it wrong, then you're attack is negated", Talon explained.

Overlord made a face like she was thinking hard. "Is it a monster?" Talon grinned.

"I'm afraid not. But good guess". The beam of energy from Silva's mouth was blocked by a stone Sphinx.

"I end my turn", Overlord said.

Talon drew her card. "I set one card face down and end my turn".

Overlord drew her next card. "Silva, attack her life points directly". Silva charged up another blast and held it in his mouth.

"I guess I forgot to mention, my Ordeal of a Traveler is a continuous trap card. So every time you make an attack, you have to guess for it", Talon mentioned.

Overlord bit her bottom lip in concentration. "I guess it's a magic card". Silva fired its attack straight at Talon, knocking her down backwards. "I end my turn".

Overlord- 3500 LP

Talon- 200 LP

Talon drew her card. "I activate my Excavation magic card. With this, I can bring one rock type monster from my graveyard to my hand. Then I end my turn".

"It seems as though Overlord has Talon on the ropes! With only 200 life points left, I don't see how Talon can possibly hope to win this one folks!" the announcer called out.

Overlord drew her card. "I summon Zure, Knight of Darkworld (A1800, D1500). And I'll send both of my monsters to attack".

"That's fine if you can tell me what kind of card this is", Talon countered.

Overlord grinned. "Fine, I have two monsters and you only have one card. I think it's either a magic or a trap". Talon tilted her head back and laughed as the two fiends were stopped by the barrier sphinx.

"You even heard me say that I had to bring a monster to my hand. It was obvious what was in my hand". Overlord's head tilted to look at the floor.

Talon picked up her top card. "I sacrifice my Giant Rat from my graveyard to special summon Gigantes (A1900, D1300)". From the dark ground rose a muscular troll style monster. "Next I reveal my two face down cards, Just Desserts to deal you 500 points for every monster on your side of the field and Call of the Haunted to bring back my Great Spirit". A bright purple light surrounded Overlord. She screamed in pain as 1000 points were deducted from her life. And I'll activate my Swords of Revealing Light to bring you to a halt for three turns. A sand spirit in colored dressings and feathers on its head formed from the wind between three great swords of light. "I'll flip my Great Spirit face down and end my turn".

Overlord- 2500 LP

Talon- 200 LP

Overlord drew her card. "I switch my Knight of Darkworld to defense mode. I end my turn".

Talon drew her card. "And the countdown begins. By the time my Swords of Revealing Light are finished, I will already have won this duel. I sacrifice my Gigantes for Criosphinx (A1200, D2400)". A centaur with a blue torso and great feathered wings materialized on the field. "I end my turn".

Overlord drew her card _'I don't know what she's planning, but I can't let her pull it off. I'll just have to reinforce my field'_.

"I sacrifice both Zure and Silva for Goldd, Wu-Lord of Darkworld (A2300, D1400). I end my turn". The demons were replaced by a monster in grand clothing, snarling at Talon.

Talon grinned. "And now I sacrifice Criosphinx for Exxod, Master of the Guard (A0, D4000)". Talon's field was filled by a gigantic stone statue that closely resembled Exodia, the Forbidden One. It sat with its enormous arms crossed in front of it. "While my monster is in defense mode, it can't be destroyed by any monster you could possibly have. I end my turn".

"Ha! So it can't be destroyed in attack mode. All your monster can do is sit there like wall. But don't worry, I'll find a way around it. Until then, I summon Broww, Huntsman of Darkworld (A1400, D800)". Another fiend rose up next to Goldd.

Talon's grin widened. "That monster is perfect for what I'm about to do. I switch Exxod to attack mode". Overlord seemed drawn back for a second as she looked skeptical at her opponent's move. Next I flip up my Great Spirit. This creature will switch the attack and defense points of one Earth type monster on my side of the field. And I choose to empower Exxod". Exxod stood up, moving its arms into a battle stance. The point meter for the monster went down in defense and up in attack to give the monster 4000 attack points. "And I'll finish this game by attacking Broww with Exxod". The colossal wall monster swung its fist into Broww, leaving no trace of it behind. Overlord screamed again as her life point meter dropped to zero. She knelt down and looked at her approaching foe. Talon held out her hand and took off Overlord's gloves. She pulled back her hood and removed Overlord's jacket. Then ripped off the younger girl's mask.

"You won't be needing these where you're going". She took Overlord's duel disk and searched it for a card. Once she found it, she dropped the duel disk and let the cards fall onto the ground in front of Overlord. He horror struck face looked down at each of her Darkworld monsters staring back at them. Silva, Beiige, Broww, Goldd, Scarr, Khaki, and Zure all looked up at her. The faces of the cards looked somewhat sad to Overlord. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and ran down her face. "I'll just keep this for you". Overlord didn't look up to see Reign-Beaux sitting in Talon's hand.

_'I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't win. I'm sorry that I let all of you down. I'm sorry'_.

"I'm so sorry", Overlord whispered to her cards. Shadowy hands reached up and grabbed Overlord's arms from behind. They grabbed her legs, waist, and throat. A last one reached around her mouth. The hands pulled her backward into the darkness.

"Enjoy an eternity in loneliness", Talon said proudly. She slipped Reign-Beaux into a small card box on her waist and walked toward the exit of the stage as the Shadow Realm disappeared. The announcer ran onto the field and his head darted back in forth as he searched for Overlord's body.

"It would seem as though Overlord has vanished as well. But don't worry folks, wherever she is, I'm sure she's safe". The crowd began to mutter amongst themselves. The announcer pulled out a small radio. "I want both Sirius and Overlord found immediately", he hissed into it.

Darren looked down at Talon. "This sure is weird, huh Darren". Eric commented.

"Yeah, it sure is", Darren replied.

**So Overlord has fallen to one of Vulcan Flare's followers as well. How many more people will have to suffer before Flare is stopped. Only time will tell. Please R and R. **


	22. Strategy Masters Naga of Blackfathom

Stronger than Death

Stronger than Death

Darren's eyes followed Talon of the stage. _'So she's working for Flare also. Just how many of these finalists are under his control?'_ he pondered. His eyes narrowed and he moved his leg to get up when a voice interrupted him.

_'Leaving again so soon?! You only just got back!'_, Cairo snickered. _'If you're thinking about catching up with Talon, which I know you are, then I'd think again! Master Flare says if you approach any of us, then you'll have to deal with all of us!'_.

_'Bring it on!'_ Darren remanded. Just before he could stand up, another voice came.

_'No Darren, we mustn't. Just stay for now. We'll deal with them soon enough'_, Arcturas ordered.

_'Bu'_

_'NO! It would be unwise to fight with the four that we know of, not to mention any others that might be working with them as well'_ Arcturas said calmly.

Darren relaxed in his seat. _'You'll do well to listen to your alter ego', _Cairo said. His laughter faded from Darren's mind.

"What do you think happened to Sirius and Overlord?" Eric asked.

"Huh?...Oh, I have no idea", Darren lied. "Maybe it's all an act by the tournament heads. You know, the loser disappears. Gives the other duelists more incentive to win". Darren gave a big anime smile and scratched the back of his head.

A man who was dressed in a janitorial uniform walked out on stage with a metal tray and picked up Overlord's cards. He walked off with a solemn look in his face. _'Nice finishing touch, Talon', _Cairo thought. Overlord, walking up the stairs to her seat, cracked a grin.

"**Now then folks, we have our next two competitors. Please give it up for Prime and Agent Smith!**" The crowd erupted with more cheering for the two duelists. The tall, stone-faced man with the earpiece walked onto the arena. He arrived at the other side and turned to face his opponent, the tall, gangly kid with long hair and glasses. Agent Smith pulled out his earpiece. **"Let the duel begin!"**

Agent smith shuffled his deck and drew six cards. "Summon Alien Mars (A1000, D1000) in attack mode. Set two cards face down. End turn". Smith's voice was very dull and drone-like. He only mentioned his movements, very much like a machine. He summoned a golden Martian monster with red orbs and three silver tentacles.

Prime drew his opening hand. He cocked one eye brow at Smith. "Okaaaay", he said skeptically. "I set one monster face down in defense mode. Next I set one card face down and activate Frontline Base".

"Reveal face down trap card, Magic Jammer". The purple card flipped itself up. "Discard Brainwashing Beam" The magical seal formed around Prime's card, causing it to crumble to dust.

"I end my turn", said.

Smith drew his card. "Summon Alien Infiltrator (A800, D500)". Smith's second monster was a gray alien with green orbs and tentacle arms. "Activate ability. Whenever no monster, magic, or trap cards are in the same column as Alien Infiltrator, deal damage directly". The tentacles reached up over the field. They crashed onto the arena in front of Prime, kicking dust into his face.

"Real cute", he said sarcastically as he wiped the dust from his glasses and returned them to his face.

"Attack target's face down monster with Alien Mars". Alien Mars wrapped itself around Prime's face down card and strangled it.

"You reveal my Big Eye (A1200, D1000). When he's flipped up, I can rearrange the top five cards of my deck to my liking". Prime quickly shuffled around the five cards and returned them to his deck.

"End turn".

Agent Smith- 7800LP

Prime- 7200LP

Prime drew his card. "Weirdo", he muttered under his breath. "I summon W-Wing Catapult (A1300, D1500)". Prime summoned a blue jet with two large boosters. "W-Wing Catapult, attack his Alien Infiltrator". The jet performed a kamikaze attack into the alien, ensuing in an explosion. The jet flew out of the smoke and returned to its post in front of Prime. "And now Big Eye attacks Alien Mars". The big red creature with one large eye, covered in many smaller eyes, slashed its claws through the second alien. "I end my turn".

Agent Smith- 7100LP

Prime- 7200LP

Smith started his third turn. "Summon Cyber Harpy Lady (A1800, D1600). Attack opponent's monster, Big Eye". Cyber Harpy dove across the field and clawed the red monster, shattering it.

Darren looked to his side and saw Eric with an annoyed look on his face. "You ok, man?" he asked. Eric's eyes shifted to Darren.

"He's using one of my cards", he said unhappily.

Darren stared at Eric. "Dude, the game's older than us. There's bound to be other people using some cards you do",

"Target neutralized. End turn".

Agent Smith- 7100LP

Prime- 6600LP

Prime stared at his opponent. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card. Next I summon V-Tiger Jet (A1600, 1800). Then, through contact fusion, I combine my two creatures to make VW-Tiger Catapult (A2000, D2100)". A blue and yellow jet with a tiger face combined with Prime's first jet to make a new machine. "I end my turn".

Smith held his hand up to his eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses. "Switch Cyber Harpy to defense position. Set one monster face down, defense position. End turn". The Cyber Harpy knelt down, holding its wings in front of it.

Prime drew his card. "I summon X-Head Cannon (A1800,D1500)". Prime now had a blue and yellow robot with a large ball in place of legs, two arms, and cannons on its shoulders. "Attack his Cyber Harpy". The robot fired from its shoulder cannons into the bird woman. "Next I'll discard Inferno Reckless Summon to switch your monster to attack mode". Smith's monster flipped up.

"Reveal Alien Hypno (A1600, D1700)". This was a fat, round, gray alien with a green liquid chamber for a body and two long-fingered hands.

"Tiger Catapult, attack!" Prime commanded. The tiger mouth opened and a beam of light rained out onto Alien Hypno, destroying it. "I end my turn".

Agent Smith- 6700LP

Prime- 6600LP

Smith drew his card. "Set one card face down. End turn".

Prime drew. "I summon Y-Dragon Head (A1500, D1600). I'll union it with X-Head Cannon". Te red mechanical dragon equipped itself to the cannon robot. "This will give X and additional 400 attack points.

"Reveal face down trap card, Riryoku Field. Destroy equipped monster, X-Head Cannon". Prime's machine exploded.

"Tiger Catapult, attack his life points directly". The tiger head fired another beam of light, only to have the attack stop.

"Reveal face down trap card, Cyber Shadow Gardna. Activate ability, whenever this card is attacked, copy attack and defense of attacking monster". The Gardna attacked back at the Tiger Catapult, destroying it on impact.

"I end my turn".

Smith drew his card, but didn't play anything.

Prime drew his top card. "I set one monster face down and end my turn".

_'Perhaps we should consider taking the winner of this duel to our side. Both of them show a great deal of determination. And there skill is astounding. Either one would become a very great asset to us_', Cairo suggested.

_'Indeed, both of them seem very cunning. And they have great mastery over there decks. I may have you recruit the winner of this game'_, Flare stated. He leaned forward over the edge of his balcony.

_'You know, we could just make this a Shadow Game. It would be much easier watching them fight for a spot on our team. And that way, it would throw off both the tournament and the Seventh Guardian'_.

_'You are very intelligent Cairo, But I do not wish for this to become a Shadow Game. I don't want to watch these to work on fear, but rather work on pure determination. They've already seen two other finalists disappear into the darkness. It would only scare them. And as for the Seventh Guardian, it will not matter who he thinks is with us. Because you'll take care of him, won't you'_.

_'Yes master, of course_', Cairo closed his eyes.

_'Good. You have proved your worth to us time and again. You have guaranteed yourself a place in our new world. I have endowed this task of you because you are my most trustworthy and efficient underling. I don't expect you to fail me'_, Flare honored Cairo.

_'You need not worry, master. I will deal with the Seventh Guardian and rid you of him. I won't lose_'.

_'Good. Although, I don't see how you could lose. Not with that Millennium Eye I have gifted you with_'. Both Dale Laney and Cairo laughed.

Smith drew his card. "Summon Alien Infiltrator. Attack target's life points directly. End turn".

Agent Smith- 6700LP

Prime- 5800LP

Prime drew his card. "I summon Cyber Phoenix (A1200, D1600). Next I'll flip up another Big Eye to rearrange my next five cards. Then I'll attack your alien with Big Eye". The gardna moved in front of the attack, destroying Big Eye. "And I'll follow up by attacking with Cyber Phoenix. I end my turn".

Agent Smith- 6300LP

Prime- 5800LP

Again, smith ended his turn with a draw.

Prime drew. "I activate Heavy Storm. This card will blow away all of our magic and trap cards, namely your gardna". A raging storm formed on the field, destroying all the magic and traps. "And now I'll attack your life points directly". His phoenix opened its mouth to reveal a flamethrower. A jet stream of fire rushed out over Smith. "I end my turn".

Agent Smith- 5100LP

Prime- 5800LP

Smith looks at his hand and does not play anything. "**THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD FOR AGENT SMITH, FOLKS! IT SEEMS THAT HE CAN'T DRAW A MONSTER! AT THIS RATE, PRIME WILL MAKE QUICK WORK OF HIM!**" the announcer said through the PA system.

Prime drew his card. "You know, when I found out I was going to the finals, I thought I would be facing intense duelists. And after the last two matches, I was all fired up to show what I could do. But seeing you sit there and not make a move, turn after turn, just really pisses me off that I'm stuck facing the sorriest finalist in the tournament". Prime said irritated. "I summon Shining Angel (A1400, D800). Attack his life points directly". Both the angel and the phoenix attacked Smith, who didn't even flinch. "I end my turn".

Agent Smith- 2500LP

Prime- 5800LP

Smith drew his card and looked (assumingly) at Prime. "Activate magic card, Monster Reborn. Special summon one monster from either graveyard to the field. Reborn target's monster, VW Tiger Catapult". Prime watched as his own mechanoid rose before him. "Attack target monster, Shining Angel". The machine opened the tiger mouth and fired a beam of light, destroying the angel. "Target neutralized. End turn".

Agent Smith- 2500LP

Prime- 5200LP

"Now then, that's more like it", Prime said as he drew. "Thanks to Shining Angel, I can special summon Z-Metal Track (A1500, D1300). I activate Limiter Removal. This will double the attack strength of all my machines. Z-Metal Track, attack the Dragon Catapult". The track opened a small compartment and fired a beam of energy into the composite machine, causing it to explode. "And I'll finish you with Cyber Phoenix. Attack". The mech-bird opened its mouth and released another wave of fire on Smith. "I end my turn".

The monsters on the field faded as the duel disks powered off.

**"AND THE WINNER IS PRIME! AND LOOK, FOLKS! HE'S STILL HERE! LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE WINNER", **the announcer cheered. More applause filled the arena.

_'So shall I "recruit" him?'_, Cairo asked.

Flare grinned. _'Always eager to play a Shadow Game. No, I think we'll wait before recruiting him. I'm not quite convinced he's our material_'.

_'Of course master'_, Cairo replied.

"Here, this is your prize", Agent Smith said, extending a card to Prime. Prime looked over it.

"Alien Mother? You didn't use this one during our match", he said looking at Smith.

"I never had the chance to play it. We could use a mind like yours at headquarters. Here's my card. We'll keep in touch", Smith said.

"But you don't even know my real na"

"We know. We know everything. We'll keep in touch". Smith turned and walked away. Prime stared after him and looked at the card. It was a blank business card. He looked backup, but Smith was gone.

**"WELL FOLKS, LET'S GET THE NEXT DUEL UNDERWAY! PLEASE HELP ME BY GIVING A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEXT TWO CONTENDERS, EDDIE AND CURT!",** the announcer walked off the field. He was quickly replaced by the skeletal boy and Curt, the boy with the long dirt blonde hair and faded clothes. After a quick shuffle, the duel was underway.

Eddie picked up a sixth card. "I activate Graceful Charity…I can draw three cards…then discard two", Eddie said. Again, the pauses seemed to come between separate thoughts. "I'll discard Ryu Kokki and Pyramid Turtle". He slipped the two cards into his graveyard. "I activate Call of the Mummy…to revive Ruy Kokki (A2400, D2000). Then I activate Premature Burial…for the cost of 800 life points…I can special summon Pyramid Turtle (A1200, D1400)". Both the big rotted beast and the turtle with an Egyptian pyramid for a shell rose from the graveyard.

**"THIS IS ASSTOUNDING, FOLKS!! ALREADY EDDIE HAS SUMMONED BACK BOTH OF THE MONSTERS HE DISCARDED IN ONE TURN!! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, FOLKS?!"** the announce boomed. The crowd went wild.

"And…for my turn…I summon Double Coston (A1700, D1650). I set one card…face down…I end". The monsters on Eddie's field were joined by two floating black balls of shadow and a face down card.

Eddie- 7200LP

Curt- 8000LP

Curt pulled out his opening hand. "I'll start with Gilasaurus (A1400, D400). I'll activate his ability. I can use him as a special summon to summon a second creature". Curt spoke with a very bored monotone. He yawned as he looked over his hand for a move. "I'll sacrifice Gilasaurus for Catapult Turtle (A1000, D2000) in defense mode". His raptor was soon replaced by a turtle with a crossbow barrel on its back. "Then I use the magic card reload so I can draw a new hand", Curt looked his new hand over. "Activate Card Destruction. We both discard our hands and draw an equal amount from our decks. And now I activate another Reload". Curt drew another hand. "I'll activate me Reasoning magic card. What happens is you call out a monster level. Then I keep revealing cards from my deck until I come to a monster. If you call it right, then the monster is special summoned. If you call it wrong, then I lose it and all the cards on top of it". Eddie held up four very slender fingers. Curt revealed the top card to be another Cannon Turtle. "I end my turn", he said.

Eddie drew his card. "I sacrifice Pyramid Turtle…for Vampire Lord (A2000. D1500). Ryu Kokki..attack his turtle". The great abomination took a bite out of the turtle. The reptile monster shattered. "Vampire Lord and Double Coston…attack his life points…directly". Curt watched as the two dark sphere monsters floated in his face, causing him to wheeze. He regained his composure, only to feel a sharp pain in his neck. He looked over to see the Vampire Lord biting him. The monsters returned to Eddie. "Because my Vampire Lord…caused damage to you…I can declare…a card type. Then you…discard the type…I said. Monsters. I end my turn".

Eddie- 7200LP

Curt- 4300LP

Curt discarded Sacred Crane. "I set one monster face down in defense mode and set one card face down and end my turn", he said dully.

Darren stood up. He walked down the stairs with a determined look on his face. His cold gray eyes were replaced by empty black. He reached the bottom of the staircase. _'Cairo…CAIRO!!. I know you hear me. CAIRO!!'_ , he called out with his mind.

_'There's no need to shout. I can hear you Seventh Guardian. What is it you need?', _Cairo asked mockingly.

_'Why does Flare want the book?'_, Arcturas asked. His first answer was echoing laughter.

_'I'm not sure. I have not been told what he wants it for. And it is not my place. He is my master and I his servant. He has asked me to acquire the book from you. Do not worry, soon I shall take the book from you and lock you away in the Shadow Realm. It will no longer be of any concern to you. Eddie is going to be furious. After the little confrontation between you two, he want to finish you off himself'._

_'What is it with him?', _Arcturas asked. _'He speaks so strangely. He pauses as he talks'_.

_'Ha! Of course he does. He can't help it though. You'd speak like that two if you had half a brain'_.

_'Half a brain!?'._

_'Mhm, he only has half a brain. It's the curse of undeath. Sure, Master Flare could reanimate his body, fill it with a soul. Even return its thoughts and memories. But Eddie had been dead so long, his brain was half deteriorated when we found him'._

_'Why would Flare reanimate the dead?' _

_'This is the only undead puppet he has. It's a special person. In life, Eddie was a guardian of the Pharaoh. HAHA!!'._ Arcturas clenched his teeth.

_'That rat! Disturbing the dead is forbidden of the Pharaoh's magisters. He will pay dearly for his crimes against Pharaoh Atem'_, Arcturas said angrily.

_'You don't even know how many people have been watching you. Master Flare has many followers. You've even met one. But it doesn't matter. For I shall defeat you in good time and deliver my master the book. We are the greatest followers of Master Flare. We are un…WHAT?!'._ Cairo was cut off. Arcturas snapped out of it. Darren regained control of his body. He looked around.

_'Arcturas, what happened? Why did Cairo stop talking so suddenly?'_, he asked.

_'I don't know. Now, return to the arena. Maybe something happened there. It seemed like he saw something that surprised him_'. Darren nodded and ran back up the stairs. He looked over his balcony into the dark cloud of the Shadow Realm. Standing victorious was Curt.

Eddie was kneeling on the ground. His cards we strewn out on the floor, some as far as a few yards. Eddie was screaming as small white particles of light flew out of his body. His eyes became glassy and he fell face first into the arena floor. The darkness receded back to the ring on Eddie's lifeless hand.

"Dude, you missed it. Curt won with less than 1000 life points left. In one turn, he completely turned it around. He whipped out some combination of Magical Scientist and Catapult Turtle. I can't believe you left, just when it was getting good", Eric said in a hyped up voice to Darren.

Dale Laney watched the scene in awe. "What's going on? What just happened to Eddie?" he asked his neighbor, Cardinal Supreme.

"I haven't the slightest clue boy. This is the third time this has happened. But that was by far the strangest of the happenings thus far. I do not like the way this tournament is turning out", he said.

Dale looked up at the wizened old man with a slight suspicion. The golden relic around his neck gave a quick glow and a malevolent sneer crossed his lips. _'It's a shame what happened to poor Eddie'_. He closed his eyes and cupped his right hand. _'But that is the price he pays for losing in the Shadow Realm'_. He opened his hand to reveal Eddie's ring in his hand. _'Here Cairo, you take this. Think of it as some extra power'. _ The ring disappeared from his hand and reappeared on Cairo's left pinky. Cairo looked down at his hand. He now wore his two initial rings, the one he took from Andy, and now the fourth from Eddie.

_'Thank you, my master'_. Down in the arena, men in suits looked over the arena for Eddie's "body".

Elsewhere in the world, another tournament was still being held. Andy walked up a flight of stairs to the arena where he would be facing his next opponent. He shuffled his deck as he walked. '"Last duel of the day. Just win this, and you're in the quarter finals for tomorrow". He stepped onto the arena to see his opponent facing him from afar. It was a girl. She had long, brilliant blonde hair with green streaks through it. She wore turquoise pants that had decorative sparkles on it and a blue t-shirt with a clamshell bikini top design on it.

"It looks like we're getting our match at last", Andy said. He had made friends with her during the tournament. She had a great sense of humor. And she was a good friend. She was the one who would cheer for Andy before every match.

**LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS OUR LAST DUEL OF THE DAY!! BUT AFTER WHAT WE'VE SEEN FROM BOTH OF THESE DUELISTS, I'M SURE WE CAN EXPECT A GREAT MATCH!! SO PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR ANDY JONES AND VIOLET SAXON!!**", The tournament announcer called out. The enormous crowd let out howls of excitement.

Andy drew his first hand. "I'll start with Elemental Hero Avian (A1000, D1000)", he said. The hero in green spandex and feathered wings materialized on the field. "I end my turn".

Violet drew her card. "I won't be playing a monster this turn. Instead, I'll start by setting a card face down. Then I'll activate my field card, Black Fathom Deeps". The entire arena took on the appearance of an underwater cavern with water pools and broken columns and walls everywhere. I end my turn", she said and smiled.

Andy drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (A1600, D1400).The lightning hero in blue and yellow armor joined his comrade. They looked at each other and gave the thumbs up. "I set one card face down and attack your life points directly with both monsters. AVIAN, FEATHERSHOT!! SPARKMAN, STATIC SHOCKWAVE!!". Violet was hit by a barrage of feathers and electricity. "I end my turn there".

Andy- 8000LP

Violet- 5400LP

Violet drew her card. "I'll set two cards face down. Then I'll summon my Bloodcursed Naga (A1450, D1400). And he gets a 300 point attack increase here in Black Fathom Deeps". The Naga was a merman, but not the Disney kind. This one had blue scales covering his entire body. The lower half was still a long fish tail, but the top half was more amphibian than human. The creature's muscles expanded as it received its power up. "Attack his Sparkman". The naga grabbed Sparkman by the throat and lifted him into the air and squeezed until the monster shattered. Andy recoiled from the naga in the classic anime one leg up in front of the other and torso turned to the side with both arms clutched to the chest pose. "I end my turn".

Andy- 7850LP

Violet- 5400LP

Andy drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (A1500, D1600) in defense mode". A heroic warrior with tribal tattoos, a big ponytail, and even bigger sword knelt down on the field. "Next, I'll switch Avian to defense as well. I end my turn".

Violet looked happily out onto the field. "I reveal my face down card, Sapphires. This card will boost my life points by 400 for every monster on the field. Now, attack Avian!". The naga squeezed the life from Avian, dematerializing him. "I end my turn".

Andy- 7850LP

Violet- 6600LP

Andy looked over his hand. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Overgrowth (A1400, D1200) in defense mode. Your go". The hero covered in moss and weeds took form in a defensive stance.

Violet drew her card. "I summon another monster to join my Bloodcursed Naga. I summon Naga Explorer. Then I'll reveal another Sapphires, giving me 1600 more life points. I'll attack Overgrowth and end my turn". Overgrowth tried to hide under the moss growing from his spandex, but the serpent lifted it into the air and crushed it to pieces.

Andy- 7850LP

Violet- 8200LP

Andy drew his card and had a worried look on his face. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (A800, D1200) in defense mode. All I can do is end my turn".

Violet drew her card. "I have to say Andy, I'm rather disappointed. I was hoping for a better match than this. Here we are in the Shiek Ra tournament's final rounds. And all you're doing is throwing card after card into defense mode. I hate to think how you'll deal with this. I use Explorer's ability to search for a naga and add it to my hand. Then I sacrifice him and Bloodcursed Naga for Azshara, Queen of the Naga (A2800, D2500)". The two monsters were replaced by a new naga. This one wore tattered robes and a golden crown. She also had four arms. "And to go with her, I activate the field magic card, Well of Eternity. Azshara, attack his Bubbeman". The queen held out her hands and the cavern became a large pond with crystal blue water. The monsters hovered above the water. The naga queen dove into the water and disappeared. A scaly hand reached up and pulled Bubbleman under the water. The only thing that could be seen were a few data particles flying from the water. "I end my turn",

Andy drew his card. "Dammit", he muttered. "I summon Elemental Hero Stratos (A1800, D1300) in defense mode". This new hero had white and blue armor with wings that held by big propellers. "I end my turn".

"Aw, what a shame. That card would have really helped last turn. Too bad". Violet drew her card. "I summon Wraithtail Myrmidon (A1800, D1500). I'll attack and destroy both of your monsters". The heroes were brought to there knees by Violet's naga creatures.

"Reveal face down card, Hero Signal. This trap card will let me special summon an Elemental Hero. I summon Elemental Hero Clayman (A800, D2000) in defense mode".

"Well I end my turn".

Andy drew his card. "I set one card face down and end my turn".

Violet shook her head. "You didn't even draw a monster this turn". She frowned as she looked over her hand. "I was hoping you'd be more of a match. I summon Slitherblade Naga (A1900, D1200). Then I'll attack Clayman with Myrmidon". Pieces of gray stone spilled over the floor. "And now my monsters will attack your life points directly". Andy held his arms over his face to brace for impact. "I end my turn".

Andy- 2750LP

Violet-8200LP

Andy drew his card glumly. But his expression changed when he saw it. "WOOT! Alright Violet, you ready for serious time?" he asked confidently.

Violet laughed. "Hon, I think it's a bit late for serious time. You shoulda been playing seriously from the beginning", she retorted.

Andy grinned. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (A1200, D800) in defense mode"

"Hon, this looks just like all your other turns", Violet pointed out. Andy ignored the comment.

"And next I activate Polymerization, fusing Elemental Hero Sparkman and Bladedge in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Plasma Vice (A2600, D2300). I end my turn". He said. He finally had a grand monster on the field. The golden energy flowing around Plasma Vice was almost blinding to the nearest spectators.

"That's a nice card Andy. But I'm afraid you're too late to the game. In case you didn't notice, Azshara has been here in the Well of Eternity for three turns now. Now, I can use her special ability. By sacrificing her, Wraithtail Myrmidon, and Slitherblade Naga, I can summon my most powerful monster, Sergeras, The Burning Titan (A3500, D3100)". The three naga burst into pieces. Then something began to twist in the Well of Eternity. An ominous black shadow appeared in the middle. It grew larger and larger with each passing second and soon. The water rippled as Sergeras rose from out of the water. He was easily as big as one of the three Egyptian God Cards. He had a crown of horns sitting atop his head. He had Obelisk's face. But his skin was made of molten metal. It gleamed in the light of Plasma Vice. It loamed like god over Andy's monsters.

"The best part of this monster is that he's not affected by magic or trap cards. Too bad we can't say the same for your monsters. Espescially when I have this, Stop Defense. This will force one of your defending monsters, Burstinatrix, into attack mode". Andy watched in terror as Burstinatrix reluctantly stood her ground against Sergeras. "Sergeras, attack with DARK BANISHING!!". The titan raised his right hand over his head and an arcane aura flowed from it. The beast roared and released the aura at Burstinatrix, showering the field in data particles. "I end my turn, Andy. Would you just like to surrender?" Andy narrowed his eyes at her.

Andy- 450LP

Violet- 8200LP

"Ha! You think I'm afraid of something like that? Not as long as I've got a hero on my side. And luckily, the hero I have is Plasma Vice. He's the perfect guy to tackle your titan. Watch carefully because I'm moving quickly". Andy picked up a card from his deck. "I summon Elemental Hero Overgrowth. Then I'll activate Plasma Vice's special ability. Whenever I discard a card, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. And since it's not by magic or trap, Sergeras isn't immune to it. So Plasma Vice, rid us of that great oaf". Plasma Vice spread his arms and the light from his body intensified. When the light dimmed, Sergeras was no where to be seen,

"No! That's impossible! Sergeras is a titan! He can't be destroyed so easily!", Violet shrieked.

Andy pointed at her. "Elemental Heroes Plasma Vice and Overgrowth, attack her life points directly". The monsters both performed their signature moves on Violet. "But I'm not done. I activate the quick play magic card, Berserker Soul. Here's how it works. I reveal cards from the top of my deck. If it's a magic or trap card, then one monster on my side of the field with less than 1500 attack points gets to attack you again. And they will keep getting to attack you for every card I reveal until I draw a monster". Andy drew his first card. "Mystical Space Typhoon is a magic card. So Overgrowth, attack her again". Overgrowth leaped across the field and dealt a punch to Violet's stomach. "Oh damn, Burstinatrix is a monster, so I guess the spree ends here". Andy slipped his monster into the graveyard. "I end my turn".

Andy- 450LP

Violet- 2800LP

Violet drew her card. "You haven't won this duel yet. And I don't see how you can when I play Monster Reborn. I choose to bring back Sergeras". The titan returned to the field. "My titan is unhappy about what you did. And now he's back with a vengeance".

Andy pressed a button on his duel disk. "Reveal face down trap card, Magic Jammer. I can discard a card to negate your Monster Reborn".

"Reveal face down trap card", Violet countered as she pressed a button of her own. "Seven Tools of the Bandit. For the cost of 1000 life points, I can negate the activation of your trap card". Violet's life points dropped. Andy discard a card as his trap shattered. "I end my turn".

Andy- 450LP

Violet- 1800LP

Andy drew his card and stared at it. "I set one card face down. Then I switch both of my monsters to defense mode. I end my turn".

Violet laughed as she drew her card. "On the defense again, I see. Oh well Andy, I suppose I would be hiding too if I were against a creature like Sergeras. I summon Bloodcursed Naga".

"Reveal face down trap card, Ring of Destruction!", Andy cried. The card flipped up and a metal ring with explosives attached to it materialized on the field.

"Ring of Destruction?" Violet asked.

"Yup. It's a helpful little trap card. When I activate it, I choose one monster on the field. The ring then destroys that monster and we both lose life points equal to its attack points".

"But Sergeras is immune to trap cards", Violet protested.

"I know, I'm not targeting Sergeras. I'm targeting Elemental Hero Plasma Vice". The ring surrounded Plasma Vice and the explosives detonated. Violet looked down at her life point meter as it dropped to zero. She looked up into the cloud of dust formed by the explosion.

"This move was pointless. We both hit zero and the game ends in a draw", she called. The dust settled down. She saw Andy standing with his arms crossed and another trap card face up. He still had 450 life points. "What!? How did you not take any damage?" she demanded to know.

Because I activated my other trap card, Barrel Behind the Door. When I activated this, I didn't take the damage from Ring of Destruction". The holograms faded and Violet hung her head. Andy chuckled as he went to shake his opponents hand.

**"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ANDY JONES PULLED HIMSELF OUT OF A REAL BIND AND CAME THROUGH WITH A STUNNING VICTORY!! WE CAN CERTAINLY HOPE TO SEE MORE FROM THIS PROMISING YOUNG DUELIST TOMORROW!!"**, the announcer declared.

Darren tapped his finger against the side of his balcony as his eyes shifted in a triangle from Dale, to Cairo, to Talon, back to Dale. _'I don't know how many of you are here, but I will defeat each and every one of you_', he thought.

**Freeze frame as Darren looks out onto the arena with an image of Arcturas standing behind him. Loaming over them is a big image of Talon, an even bigger image of Cairo, and Dale's face grinning as the background. **

**After four harsh duels in the finals, it looks like Darren has some harsh competition coming up. But don't count him out. And Andy made it to the quarter finals. How far will these to duelists make it in their tournaments? Only time will tell. Please R&R.**


	23. Cairo and the Prodigy

**Stronger than Death**

The announcer stepped onto the arena slowly. **"UM…WELL, WASN'T THAT EXCITING FOLKS?! SOME INTERESTING EFFECTS NO DOUBTLY BY OUR LIGHTING CREW. AND A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE BY EDDIE"**, the announcer said as beads of sweat ran down his forehead into his face. He took out a small hanker chief and wiped his face.

_'What's going on? Three of the finalists have disappeared. This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen'_, the announcer said. He looked up through his dark glasses at the puzzled crowd. _'Boy, I really hope they don't blame me for any of this'. _He looked over at the staircase and saw the next duelist to be introduced watching him. He regained his composure and tried to put his worries out of his mind.

**"NOW THEN FOLKS, WE'VE SEEN HALF OF THE FINALISTS DUEL!! AND I'D HAVE TO SAY SO FAR, EACH OF THEM LOOK TOUGH ENOUGH TO MAKE IT IN THE PRO LEAGUE!! BUT NOW, IT'S TIME TO SEE THE REMAINING EIGHT DUELISTS PLAY!! SO FOR THE FNEXT MATCH, PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME SPIRIT AND KIRI!!"**. The crowd went crazy as they applauded the two duelists into the arena.

The masked Spirit shuffled her cards and stared down the field at her opponent. Even though Kiri was a little girl, Spirit was certain not to take her lightly. Kiri had made it to the finals just as she did, by being better than everyone she dueled in the tournament thus far. Age didn't matter in Duel Monsters. What mattered was winning. Having fun was important to, but winning was the number one. But Spirit smiled. She already knew how this game was going to end. She knew that she was to walk away victorious.

Kiri bowed before her opponent. Spirit, a little surprised, responded the same way. Spirit didn't waste time with talking. She drew six cards from her duel disk and immediately started looking for her first move. She glanced over the arena at Kiri, who was arranging the cards in her hand. Spirit looked back at her hand.

"I'll make my first summon. I choose to play Harvest Angel of Wisdom (A1800, D1000). I end my turn". The floated slowly down in front of Spirit. It's orange armor gave of a faint glow as it crossed its warms.

Kiri picked up two cards of the six in her hand. "I set one monster face down in defense mode and set one card face down. I end my turn". The brown cards materialized.

Spirit looked at her hand. The crowd was silent as they watched the two quiet duelists concentrate. "I sacrifice my angel for Airknight Parshath (A1900, D1400). Then I activate my Premature Burial magic card to bring back Harvest Angel of Wisdom. I'll attack your monster with Harvest". The angel floated across the field and punched the face down card with its mighty fist. "And now it's Parshath's turn". The great Airknight raised its sword above its head and a golden aura flowed around the blade. He flew at Kiri and swung the sword at her and returned next to Spirit. "When he does damage, I may draw a card". Spirit picked up her card. "I set one card face down and end my turn".

Spirit- 7200LP

Kiri- 6100LP

Kiri picked up her deck from the duel disk. "The card you destroyed was my Elder of the Sword. When he's destroyed, I may search my deck for any equip card and at it to my hand. She found where her card was returned her deck. "I chose to bring to my hand Boukyoko: Kosmos Calibur. And now for my turn, I summon Swordsman of Savage Rebirth (A1000, D600)". A swordsman with battle armor on his arms and legs appeared on the field, toting a long sword. "Then I equip him with Boukyoku: Kosmos Calibur and Fumetsu: Burning Eternity". The sword in her monster's hand was replaced by a larger one with a star design near the top, then again by a normal sword with fire around the edges. "Each of my swordsmen their own signature sword. And each sword has its own ability to offer whichever creature it's equipped to. Boukyoko gives my swordsman the ability to destroy all of your monsters when it attacks. And Fumetsu gives it 1000 added attack points and it can't be destroyed when its attacked in attack mode. I'll attack both of your monsters. I end my turn". The swordsman waved Fumetsu twice, each time sending a wave of fire into one of Spirit's monsters.

Spirit- 6900LP

Kiri- 6100LP

Spirit drew her card. "I set one card face down. Then I flip up my Lightning Vortex magic card. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy all of your face up monsters. So now I'll discard my Beckoning the Light and". Spirit's last words were drowned out by the sound of lighting as a bolt of it crashed down onto Kiri's swordsman. "I end my turn".

Kiri pulled out two cards from her graveyard. "I'll activate my two swords' abilities. By paying 500 life points, I can shuffle them into my deck. I'll end my turn by setting one monster face down in defense mode".

Spirit- 6900LP

Kiri- 5100LP

Spirit started her turn with her draw. "I summon Royal Knight (A1300, D800). Then I end my turn".

Kiri drew her card. "I sacrifice Mid Shield Gardna for Swordsman of Eternal Night (A1800, D1600). I'll equip him with Sosei: Illumination. This card will let me rearrange the top five cards of my deck at the end of my turn. I'll attack your Royal Knight. Then I'll rearrange my cards and end my turn". Kiri replaced her five cards as Spirit drew her next card.

Spirit- 6400LP

Kiri- 5100LP

"I'll set one card face down and end my turn", she said.

"For such a strong opening, you sure aren't putting up much of a fight. But I guess that's fine since you won't be advancing to the next round anyway. I'll set one monster face down in defense mode. Then I'll attack your face down monster". Kiri's monster rushed at the face down card. Its blade was glowing with light as it struck the back of the card, but didn't go through it.

"That's my Gellenduo (A1700, D0). It's a helpful little monster as it can't be destroyed in battle. However, if I take any damage to my life points, it'll be destroyed instantly".

"I'll end my turn Kiri said, pouting.

Spirit added another card to her hand. "I summon Dunames Dark Witch (A1800, D1050). Dunames, attack his swordsman".

"But that'll destroy both of them", Kiri said confused.

"Indeed it will. But I'm willing to part with my witch if it will destroy your monster. Then I attack your face down monster with Gellenduo". Kiri's monsters were both blasted to pieces, along with Dunames. "I end my turn".

Kiri drew her card and then lifted up her deck. "Because the monster you destroyed was my Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu, I can search my deck for another equip card. I'll set one card face down and summon Swordsman of Dragon's Roar (A1400, D1700). Then I'll equip it with Hilt of Numerous Swords. I must discard an equip card from my hand or deck and the Hilt becomes that equip card. So I'll discard Fumetsu:Burning Eternity. Now my swordsman has 2400. Attack Gellenduo, BLAZE OF ETERNITY". The swordsman roared as it swung the weapon, releasing a wave of fire. "I end my turn".

Spirit- 5400LP

Kiri- 5100LP

Spirit drew her card. "I activate Magical Mallet. I return one card to my deck and am allowed to draw a new card. Then I sent one monster face down in defense mode. I end my turn".

Kiri drew her next card. "I summon my Mist Swordsman (A1700, D1300)". A warrior in leather pants and large boots appeared on the field. He had now shirt, but wore a strap around his chest. Short, dark green hair sat atop his cold face. He raised his right hand in the air and pulled out an oversized sword. "Attack her face down card". The warrior slammed its sword on the face down card, but couldn't cut through it.

"Banisher of the Light (A100, D2000) is strong enough to withstand your swordsman's attack", Spirit said triumphantly.

"Yeah, but not strong enough to survive an attack from Dragon's Roar. Attack with BLAZE OF ETERNITY!" Another wave of fire lashed through the small man. "I end my turn".

Spirit- 5400LP

Kiri- 4800LP

Spirit looked onto the field. _She's still little. She doesn't think rationally. She attacks with every opportunity she gets without thinking of possible consequences. And that's where I take my advantage'_.

"I set one card face down. Then I summon my Absorbing Kid From the Sky (A1300, D1000)". A pudgy little boy with angel wings clad in shorts, a white shirt, and sandals materialized. "And I'll combine him with the Cestus of Dagla. These mystics blades power up any fairy by 500 points. And not only that, they will also increase my life points by any damage they cause you". The kid clapped his hands together and the curved blades formed in them. "Attack her Mist Swordsman". The kid flew into the air and latched itself onto the swordsman by the dagla. It then started absorbing the life from the creature. "Oh, and I forgot to mention. Whenever my monster destroys one of yours, I gain life points equal to that monster's level times three". The swordsman fell to pieces and a golden light surrounded Spirit. "I end my turn".

Spirit- 6700LP

Kiri- 4700LP

Kiri drew her card. "I activate Naito: Twilight Edge. This sword will give Dragon's Roar an additional 500 attack points and let me remove one of your magic cards each time it inflicts battle damage. Attack her tiny monster with TWILIGHT STRIKE!" The sword was covered with a white light. Swordsman of Dragon's Roar swung the sword and the light shot like a wave at the kid.

"Reveal face down trap card, Negate Attack". The wave of light was sucked into an invisible vortex where it disappeared. "My trap card completely stops your attack and ends your battle phase".

"I end my turn", Kiri said.

Spirit drew her card but didn't look at it. "Kiri, why don't you just give up? You aren't to win this duel. I have already seen how this game will end", Spirit warned. Kiri rolled her eyes and pointed at Spirit.

"You think just because I'm a kid, I'm an idiot. I won't buy into something that ridiculous for a second". The little girl folded her arms.

"What I say is true. Allow me to show you. I will play the card I have just drawn without looking; the card that will help me defeat you. I activate Terraforming. This magic card lets me add one field card from my deck to my hand. Next I'll activate the field card, Sanctuary in the Sky". Clouds filled the arena and the floor beneath both players disappeared and became clouds. Behind Spirit rose a great sanctuary and a sun shone brightly behind it. "On this field, any damage you do to a light fairy monster becomes zero. I end my turn".

Kiri drew her card. _'Lucky guess'_. She looked down at her hand. "I don't have a play this turn. But I can attack with Dragon's Roar". The swordsman swung its blade. The light attack completely surrounded Absorbing Kid From the Sky. But when the attack stopped, the kid remained unscathed. Spirit opened her mouth to speak, but Kiri beat her to it. "I know it wouldn't work. That doesn't mean I couldn't do it anyway. I end my turn".

Spirit drew her card. "I will end my turn without making a play".

Kiri drew her card. "I'll set one monster face down in defense mode. Then I'll attack your monster again to end my turn". The Twilight Strike covered the kid again, only to leave it perfectly fine.

"I will also have to pass this turn", Spirit said.

Kiri drew her card. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your sanctuary".

"Reveal face down trap card, Magic Jammer. As I discard my other Sanctuary in the Sky, I cancel your magic card". A seal formed underneath the magic card and destroyed it.

"I'll end my turn by attacking. Go TWILIGHT STRIKE!"

Spirit drew her card and motioned for Kiri to take her next turn.

"A-ha! Now I can play my strongest swordsman. I sacrifice both of my monsters to summon Swordsman of Cosmic Oblivion (A2900, D2500). Attack her life points directly". The unarmed swordsman ran across the field and punched Spirit's monster, but nothing happened.

"I summon another Dunames Dark Witch. Then I end my turn".

Kiri drew her card and frowned. "Attack her new monster". Again the warrior punched one of Spirit's monsters with no affect.

Spirit drew her card. "I summon Freya, Spirit f Victory (A100, D100). As long as this card remains face up on the field, all of my other fairy monsters get an additional 400 attack and defense points". I end my turn.

Kiri drew. "I set one monster face down in defense mode. Then I'll attack your kid again". The swordsman threw another punch. "It's sad watching my strongest monster fight without a weapon", she sighed.

Spirit drew up her next card. "I sacrifice Freya for Airknight Parshath. Then I activate Heavy Storm. With this I destroy every magic card on the field. This does destroy my Sanctuary, but it also destroys your face down card. Then I attack your face down monster with Airknight Parshath". The knight swung his sword through the card with ease. "And I'll finish by setting a card face down".

Spirit- 6700LP

Kiri- 4500LP

Kiri had a mile wide grin on her face. She watched Spirit draw her card from Parshath's effect. "Now I can finally do damage. Attack her Absorbing Kid". The swordsman was running across the field when an explosion occurred beneath it. Kiri gasped for her monster. When the dust settled, Kiri couldn't find her monster. All she was a trap card on Spirit's field. "What is that?"

"It's my Widespread Ruin trap card. This destroys your strongest monster". Kiri's eyes shot open.

"And since you have nothing else to do, I'll attack your remaining life points with all three of my monsters". The three fairies all attacked Kiri at once, sending her life points down to zero.

**"AND SPIRIT HAS DEFEATED KIRI AND WON HER BET CARD, THE SWORDSMAN OF COSMIC OBLIVION!!. SPIRIT HAS MADE IT INTO THE QUARTER FINALS!! BUT WHO WILL SHE FACE? WILL IT BE ERIC FLYLEAF OR CAIRO?"**.

As Spirit walked off the field, she looked up into the stands at Darren. _'So, he's the one who possesses the Millennium Medallion. He has his father's eyes…in a way'_, she thought. She looked to Cairo, who was walking toward her. The tattoo on his forehead was giving off a golden glow.

_'Soon I shall have three Millenium Items'_, he thought as he passed her.

_'Don't be so certain. I have foreseen the future and I know the Seventh Guardian will defeat you'_. The conversation died away with Cairo's laughter.

Cairo and Eric stood opposite each other on the playing field. _'The first of four. After I beat him, it's just Spirit and then two more wins until I win the whole thing. A man knows no defeat,_ Eric thought to himself. Cairo picked up five cards. "I must warn you…I won't lose", Eric stated. Cairo just grinned and grabbed a sixth.

"I'll start with a field spell card, Alter of Sacrifice". The staircase rose up behind him with the alter atop it. Two pillars of fire burst from the ground. "While this card is in play, I can sacrifice my life points equal to the level of a ritual monster to special summon it instead of using its ritual. For the cost of 800 life points, I summon Crab Turtle (A2550, D2500). Then I'll set one card face down". A freakish hybrid of crab limbs protruding from a turtle shell leapt down from the alter.

Cairo- 7200LP

Eric- 8000LP

Eric drew up a card. "Go! Harpie Queen (A1900, D1200)". A harpy with majestic, glowing, teal wings appeared in a rush of beautiful feathers. "Next I'll set one card face down and activate Smashing Ground. This card will destroy your Crab Turtle, leaving you without a monster". The ground below the revolting monster crumbled away, destroying the monster. "Now attack his life points directly with Talon Crush!" The harpy flew into the air and dived at Cairo, stopping in front of him to claw at him with her talons. "I end my turn".

Cairo- 5300LP

Eric- 8000LP

_'This is going to be easy. He's even helping me by sacrificing his own life points. I've already seen Spirit's deck. And I already beat Darren. That's my edge in this tournament. Once I win, I know I can beat Spirit. I've formulated strategies on how to win this tournament. All I have to do is win this duel, and it'll be clear sailing through the rest'_.

"Really now? You beat Darren? Then I offer my kudos to you. You must be a very talented duelist to have beat him", Cairo complimented. Eric starred in awe at Cairo.

"H-how d-d-did you know that?" Eric stuttered out.

"It's just a talent I have. It's why you won't win this duel. But do tell about your encounter with Darren. Was he a challenge for you?"

"No, not really. It wasn't a very long duel". Darren's eyes narrowed and he pouted in the stands.

"Haha! Then he will be no problem for me". The tattoo on his forehead lit up. "I see that you've set Icarus Attack face down. But I'll let you keep it. I don't even have a monster on the field, so it's useless to you now anyway". Eric just looked nervously down at his card.

_'What's going on? He knows what I'm thinking. That's how he figured out what I played. But how is that even possible?'_

"I activate Monster Reborn on my Crab Turtle. And I'll add to my field Ruin, Queen of Oblivion (A2300, D2000). Care to find out which of our queens is stronger? OBLIVION!" Cairo shouted. The gorgeous queen raised her crimson weapon over her head as a brilliant flash of red lit up the field. Eric watched his own queen scream in agony before spontaneously bursting into dust. "And because she destroyed a monster, my queen can attack again. So I'll have both of my monsters attack you". At his words, both monsters charged and struck Eric. "I end my turn".

Cairo- 4600LP

Eric- 2750LP

Eric slowly drew his card. _'This is wrong! It's impossible for him to read my mind. But I can't be afraid. A man knows no fear'_. He looked at the card he drew. "I'll discard another Harpie Queen to move a Harpie's Hunting Ground to my hand. I activate my field card to stop you from summoning any more of your monsters". The stairs, the alter, and the pillars of fire all vanished as the ground became dirt with skeletons of animals scattered around. "Then I'll set one card face down and set one monster in defense mode. I end my turn",

Cairo didn't look at the card he drew. "I see. So you have Birdface in defense mode. There's no hiding your cards from me. Anyway, I know you're waiting for me to attack so you can activate your Icarus Attack. But I already know how this turn is going to play out. Either way, I'll lose my monsters. So I'll go ahead and attack with both of them". As the two monsters ran toward Eric, he pressed a button on his duel disk.

"Reveal face down card, Icarus Attack. By sacrificing one winged-beast on my field, I can destroy two monsters on your field", Eric declared. His face down monster was struck by a bolt of lightning and destroyed.

"It's not really revealing. Cairo already told us what it was", Darren said to himself. Cairo pressed a button on his own duel disk.

"Reveal face down card, Trap Jammer. This helpful little trap with negate your own and destroy it". The monsters continued their path toward Eric. Darren gripped the barrier in front of his seat.

"Reveal face down card, Mirror Force. This will return your monsters' attacks back at them". Both of Cairo's monsters ran into the invisible field and were destroyed.

"Like I said, either way I was losing my monsters. But now that I'm left with nothing, I think I should make this game a little more interesting". The eye on his forehead and the four rings on his hand started glowing as the black fog quickly engulfed the duel. "We'll play a Shadow Game for the remainder of the duel. I end my turn".

Eric looked around, slightly shaking at the sight of the black clouds. "Because my Birdface was destroyed, I can move one winged-beast to my hand. And I'll summon Harpie Lady 1 (A1300, D1400). Next I'll set one card face down, not that it does any good, and attack your life points directly. TALON STRIKE!" The bird-woman flew at Cairo and scratched him. "I'll end my turn".

Cairo- 3100LP

Eric- 2750LP

"I'll simply activate my Different Dimension Capsule to move another Alter of Sacrifice from my deck out of play. But in two turns, it will come back into play in my hand. I end my turn".

Eric drew his card. "I summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon (A1200, D600). Then I'll attack with both of my monsters and end my turn". The small dragon spit a fireball at Cairo, hitting him in the face. The crowd laughed for a few seconds at the scene.

"Little pest", he muttered angrily.

Cairo- 600LP

Eric- 2750LP

Cairo starred gleefully at his hand. "I activate Alter of Sacrifice. But I don't have enough life points left to summon any monsters with it. Luckily, I have my Zera Ritual. By discarding a high level monster, like my Rashef the Dark Being, I can summon Zera, the Mant (A2800, D2300). Zera, attack his dragon! DARK FIRE!! The great blue demon opened its mouth and a dark burst of flames showered over the little dragon. "I end my turn".

Cairo- 600LP

Eric- 1150LP

_'Things aren't looking so well for you Cairo. Are you sure you can handle this kid. You only made a play last turn out of luck'_, Talon's voice echoed.

_'Yes, I'm certain I can handle him. In fact, I will do so without letting him get off another attack. Unlike you, I like to play with strong monsters instead of hiding behind big walls'_, Cairo snapped back.

_'Ha! My Exxod is strong enough to withstand whatever attack you send at it. And if I give it Sword and Shield, it can easily doze through any of your monsters'_.

_'Exactly. It can be a wall and you have to use another magic card to even let it attack_'. Cairo heard Talon try to "speak" again, but he quickly blocked her out.

Eric drew his card. "I activate my Swords of Revealing Light. That'll give me three more turns to take you down".

"Do you really think those swords will help you? Be honest now, I'll know if you're lying". Cairo laughed at his own joke.

"And I'll finish with Harpie Lady 2 (A1300, D1400)".

Cario motioned that he passed his turn.

"I summon my Harpie Girl (A500, D500)". A cute little blonde harpy sat on the ground next to the older harpy. "I end my turn". Cairo simply waved his hand.

"Come now. My deck is full of ritual monsters. And you've stopped me from attacking. What do you think I could possibly do? ".

Eric ignored the question. "Eric's got this one in the bag", Darren said to himself. "He's got two monsters and a whole free turn still left. Cairo just has one monster and he can't play anything else".

Eric drew his card. "I summon Rallis the Starbird (A800, D800)". The bird flapped its wings as a magical glow much like that of a star emanated from its body. "I end my turn".

Cairo drew a card. "This is the last turn of your swords. And I still have nothing to play. I will let you have one more turn before I defeat you".

Eric drew his card. _'Ha! Perfect.'_

"Just as I thought, nothing", Cairo responded to Eric's thought.

"We'll see. I activate Monster Reborn on Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon. Because I have two harpies on the field, his attack points are doubled. Next I'll switch all four of my monsters to defense mode. That makes four monsters you have to get through before you can reach my life points. I end my turn".

Cairo bowed his head and shook it. "Reduced to hiding behind a wall. Is that really your strategy? I thought you were going to show no fear. But here you are, cowering before my one single monster. It's people like you who make me sick. People like you who hide. People like you who despite everything you might do or say, you're still afraid".

Eric glared at Cairo. "You're wrong! I'm not afraid. Not of you or your monster".

"And what of this Shadow Game? You saw what happened to everyone else who lost here. Aren't you afraid the same will happen to you?"

"No!"

"You're lying. I don't even have to listen to your thoughts", Cairo glared through clenched teeth

"No! I'm not scared! I'm not afraid of this black mist. I'm not afraid of your monster. And I'm not afraid of you!" Eric argued.

Cairo's face fell to an angry, annoyed stare. "You should be". He drew his card. "I'll activate Alter of Sacrifice's second ability. By removing five ritual magic cards from my deck to the graveyard and sacrificing the alter itself, I can destroy every monster on your field. I discard Garma Sword Oath, Final Ritual of the Ancients, Shinato's Ark, End of the World, and Novox's Prayer". The entire alter shrine exploded. When everything settled, Darren looked down into the arena. The only remaining figures were Cairo, Eric, and Zera. Eric had collapsed to his knees.

"ERIC!?" Darren called out. But Eric didn't say anything. He didn't even look back. He just stared up at Cairo and his monster.

"Finish it", Cairo ordered. The large blue beast roared and a gust of fire swept over Eric. Eric's life points dropped to zero. Darren saw Eric give one last look at Cairo; a look that combined awe, confusion, anger, humiliation, shame, and defeat. But one the one thing that certainly wasn't in his face was fear. Darren clenched his fists as the black cloud returned to Cairo along with all traces of Eric.

**As we close, we see the only person to beat Darren defeated so easily by Cairo. How will Darren overcome this obstacle? And what is up with the mysterious Spirit? Please R&R**


End file.
